Bleach Blonde
by imagination junkie
Summary: Sequel to The Natural Blonde. After Aizen's betrayal my life has changed forever. Now I have to deal with the return of people from a past that isn't mine, the monster growing inside me, and my worst nightmare. Will I ever catch a break? IchiOC
1. A New Student

_**Disclaimer**_: _I don't own Bleach, its characters, or its plot. I do, however, own my OC and her story. So no touchy :)_

_Also this story is a sequel to my story The Natural Blonde, so if you haven't read that yet you should go back and do so. Otherwise you're probably going to be really confused…_

**Chapter 1: A New Student**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ichigo asked as he looked down at Taylor.

"Yes," Taylor replied shortly without returning his gaze.

Feeling slightly uneasy Ichigo turned his eyes forward again. It had been four weeks since they had returned from the Soul Society and Taylor had learned that her mother had died. She was doing better now, but no matter how hard she tried to hide it Ichigo knew that she was still grieving. He would often catch her on the verge of tears only to see her wipe them away before offering him an empty smile. Ichigo hated to see her like that, but there truly wasn't anything more that he could do for Taylor.

Still, she was better than she had been. The first week had been, for lack of a better word, rough. Taylor had been in a grief-induced daze for most of it, spending her time crying in her room at Urahara's and refusing to eat. Ichigo had spent as much time as he could with her then, knowing that beyond providing physical comfort there wasn't much else he could do to ease the pain.

Taylor had begun to recover a bit during the second week as their other friends began to visit too, despite Taylor's adamant pleas that Ichigo not tell them about her mother's death. Ichigo had ignored her, however, and he was very glad he did. Orihime had started visiting everyday after he had told her about it and Ichigo was certain that Taylor would not have come as far as she had without Orihime's ever-optimistic presence. She actually started to smile and laugh again a bit.

But then school started again. Taylor wasn't ready to go back, so she willingly stayed at Urahara's, but without Ichigo or Orihime around she began to backslide. So when Taylor told Ichigo that she wanted to go to school this week he hadn't protested. But he was still worried about her. She had shut down somewhat over the last week, closing her emotions off from Ichigo and everyone else around her. Ichigo was sure she was doing it so she wouldn't worry anyone, but it only made him worry more because he wasn't sure that she could handle her grief and her guilt by herself.

Taylor's guilty feelings were what worried Ichigo the most. Taylor's mother had died from alcohol poisoning two days after Taylor and Rukia had been captured and taken to the Soul Society. While there was absolutely nothing that Taylor could have done, she was convinced that if she had been in the World of the Living that her mother wouldn't have died. Ichigo knew the slippery slope of blaming yourself for a loved one's death very well and he was concerned that Taylor would never stop beating herself up about it and would therefore never fully finish grieving. And then there was the whole thing about Taylor storming out and telling her mother that she hated her on the night she was captured. As for that, well, Ichigo could only offer his comfort and support, trying to assure Taylor that her mother knew that she didn't really mean it.

Ichigo sighed silently as they entered the grounds of the school, Taylor's back rigid and her head held high. She was fighting so hard to hide how much sadness she still felt. She wanted to be strong so everyone would stop worrying about her. Ichigo wished that she'd remember that she didn't need to hide it from him and their friends.

While Taylor had been in the lead since they entered the school grounds she began to slow down as they approached the door to their classroom. Coming up beside her Ichigo saw the little line of worry that creased her eyebrows through her façade of calm.

"Taylor," Ichigo began again, still not sure that she should really be going back to school yet.

"I'm fine, Ichigo," she interrupted him curtly. But then she let out a long breath and looked up at him with a small smile. "I can do this. Really," she assured him quietly.

Ichigo examined Taylor's smile carefully. For the first time in several days she had completely dropped the wall that she had put up between her and the rest of the world. Sadness, worry, and nervousness were all there in her eyes, but her smile was genuine. It seemed that she was finally at a place where she could handle this. She was ready.

Ichigo found himself smiling softly back as his heart swelled in his chest. He knew better than anyone how hard this was for her. And he would always cheer her no matter how long she had to keep fighting. "Ok."

Taylor then turned away, looking determined, and stepped forward to slide the door open. Ichigo was alarmed, as she froze in the doorway her back stiff. Beyond her, inside the room, all the chatter quickly died leaving a suffocating silence. Coming up behind her, Ichigo gave the now silent and staring room his best 'What the hell are _you_ looking at?' glare. The tension in the air grew taunt for several moments before Orihime stood up, waved, and called out to Taylor, "Hi Taylor!"

As quickly as it had come the tension was gone, the atmosphere in the room relaxing. Following Taylor inside as she made her way towards Orihime, Ichigo shook his head. It was silly, really, for everyone to be so weird about Taylor coming back to school. He and their other friends had told everyone that the reason Taylor had missed the first week of school was because she was sick. There were rumors to the contrary of course, and Taylor had been most nervous about someone finding out that the real reason was that her mother had died. Ichigo knew that the last thing Taylor wanted was the pity of her classmates and teachers.

Ichigo felt relieved watching Taylor interact with Orihime and the other girls in the class. While it was definitely clear that she wasn't ok, Orihime was helping her along. And she was finally smiling again, even if it wasn't a full one. But Ichigo knew that Taylor was strong. She could get through this. And he and Orihime and everyone else would be there for the times when she needed a little help.

…

I sit down at an open desk next to Ichigo as Ms. Ochi comes into the room and slams her books down on her desk. This is what I wanted- what I _needed_- when I told Ichigo I was going back to school yesterday. Normalcy. I have just lived through the worst four weeks of my entire life and staying cooped up at Urahara's while everyone else was back at school was slowly driving me insane. I feel so much better being with Ichigo and everyone else again.

And while I'm not really ok, I am…better. The pain of my mother's death is still raw, but it's much easier for me to push it to the back of my mind now. As long as I don't think too much about it I should be able to make it through the day without a breakdown. Or that's what I keep telling myself anyways.

As the class settles Ms. Ochi spots me. "Oh, Taylor! Welcome back!" I nod back at her politely. "It's the perfect day for you to come back too! Everyone, we have a new student!" Ms. Ochi calls, walking over to the door at the front of the classroom and sliding it open. She says something to someone out in the hall and then steps back.

I focused my eyes on my desk after Ms. Ochi's acknowledgement, not wanting to attract attention, but as people begin to whisper around me I can't stop myself from looking up at the new student. As soon as I see him I freeze, shock causing me to inhale sharply. Straight blonde hair now cut short. Calculating brown eyes. That Cheshire grin. I recognize him instantly despite the fact that nearly all of Wakana's memories have faded by now. Shinji Hirako.

Ichigo must have heard my gasp because he throws me a quizzical look before facing forwards again. Up at the front of the room Shinji is writing his name- backwards- on the chalkboard.

*"Shinji Hirako," he says as he finishes, turning around and bowing to the class. "Nice to meet you."

"Um, thank you Shinji. It's backwards," Ms. Ochi says, sounding perplexed.

"Pretty good huh? One of my talents is reversing things."* I can't help but snort lightly at that. No shit- that's the power of his zanpakuto.

I begin to zone at as Ms. Ochi asks Shinji to talk about himself. My initial shock has turned to wary curiosity and low-level alarm. What the hell is Shinji doing here? Could it have something to do with me? Have the other Vizards discovered that Wakana unintentionally gave her powers to me? I experience a brief moment of panic before I mentally slap myself. That's stupid. If they know I had Wakana's powers then I'm sure they know that they're gone too. So what could it possibly be?

That's when I remember what happened in the Soul Society. That horribly familiar spiritual pressure that Ichigo released as he was fighting Byakuya Kuchiki. My eyes go wide as I turn to look at Ichigo. He is completely zoned out, his gaze fixed and unfocused on Uryuu's back. I've somehow managed to forget all about it until now, but could it be that Ichigo has an inner Hollow? That he's becoming a Vizard? I hope not. For his sake, I _really_ hope not.

**"I guess we're neighbors. Hope we can be friends, Ichigo." Ichigo and I both jump, snapped out of our respective thoughts, as Shinji pulls out the chair of the empty desk on Ichigo's other side.

"Huh? Oh…" Ichigo responds. "Nice to-!" We both jump again as Ichigo's Substitute Soul Reaper Badge begins to howl, interrupting him. Even though it has gone off several times while he was visiting me since we came back it still scares the crap out of me every time.

Ichigo stands hurriedly and races for the door, shouting something to Ms. Ochi about needing to go to the bathroom. I stare after him wistfully for a moment, wishing that I still had my powers and could go with him before reminding myself that he'll be fine and that I don't need to worry.

Chad, who is sitting in the seat behind Ichigo's looks at Shinji and speaks. "Don't take it personal. That's just Ichigo."

"Oh! I don't mind," Shinji responds, waving a hand in dismissal. "He's exactly how I imagined."**

A small shiver runs down my spine at Shinji's words, something in his tone sounding ominous. I try to catch his eye as he sits but he ignores me. Worry begins to grow in the pit of my stomach as Ms. Ochi starts her lesson. Something big feels like it's about to go down. Even without my powers I can still sense the impending storm.

…

Ichigo returned just fine like I knew he would from taking care of the Hollow and the rest of the day passed uneventfully. I feel much more like myself now than I did this morning even. It's nice to finally feel like my life is getting back to normal. But my worry about Shinji's presence hasn't abated, however. So when I spot him walking out the school gate, bag hanging over his shoulder and whistling what sounds suspiciously like a jazz tune, I give in to the impulse and chase after him.

"Taylor?"

I pause and look back at Ichigo, who is scowling at me with confusion and concern in his eyes. "Don't worry," I tell him, managing a smile. "I'll be right back. There's just something a need to take care of."

"Wait! Taylor!" he calls after me again, but this time I ignore him and run out of the school gates. I look right and left and spot Shnji just as he turns the corner at the end of the street to my right. I sprint down to the corner, but by the time I've turned it he's gone.

Damn it. What the hell is he up to? Grinding my teeth together I force myself to calm down. I may not have my powers anymore, but I can still find him I bet. I begin to expand my senses searching for some trace of Shinji's spiritual pressure. But it's an effort. My abilities are already weakened by the loss of my powers and I haven't used them at all over the past few weeks so I'm kind of rusty.

Finally, after several long minutes, I find him. He's only a few streets away and moving slowly. Frustrated at my own limitations- only a month ago it would have taken me less than a second to find him- I give chase again. I finally catch him at the base of one of Karakura's ubiquitous staircases.

"Shinji!"

He turns, slowly, his expression quickly morphing from lackadaisical curiosity to not quite genuine delight. "Taylor! …It is Taylor right? From my new class! Hello!"

I pause a few feet from Shinji to catch my breath, fixing him with a glare. He responds with a carefree grin. "What are you doing here?" I finally ask him.

"What am I doing here?" he repeats, pointing at himself and blinking at me in confusion. "Why I'm walking home from class, of course."

My scowl darkens. "Ok, _fine_. What're you doing at the school?"

Shinji cocks his head, his expression looking even more confused. "Attending classes. I'm supposed to be in school right?"

"That's not what I meant," I growl. Jeez this guy is starting to piss me off. "Why have you come to Karakura? Does it have something to do with Ichigo?"

Shinji cocks his head to the other side and though his expression doesn't change something about him suddenly makes me nervous. "You know, it sounds almost like you know me Taylor. But I'm pretty sure that's not possible as I don't think I've ever met you before today. So…" Shinji suddenly takes a step forward, his eyes narrowing at me as his grin falls. I instinctively take a step back in response to the menacing aura that Shinji is now giving off. "I suggest you stay out of business that isn't yours."

Shinji holds my gaze for a second before abruptly turning away. He glances back over his shoulder at me, throwing me another of his Cheshire grins. "See you at school tomorrow, Taylor!" he calls cheerfully, before disappearing in one quick flash step.

I'm left gaping as Shinji's presence moves out of my sensory range. What the hell was that? Obviously he knows something about me if he just took off in flash step like it was no big deal. And while he didn't actually tell me anything I feel more convinced now than ever that Shinji's sudden appearance in Karakura has something to do with Ichigo. And I'd bet that the rest of the Vizards aren't far behind either.

Damn it! Something big is definitely coming and there won't be anything I can do to stop it! I can't even protect Ichigo now…just like…just like… I vigorously scrub the back of my hand across my eyes, wiping away the tears I can feel forming. I can't think about her right now or I'm going to lose it…

Feeling morose I turn around and head back towards the school.

…

Ichigo quickly grew irritated, even as he worried, as he waited for Taylor to come back. Why the hell did she run off? He had no idea. She was already emotionally fragile not matter how hard she tried to hide it and Ichigo took her sudden desire to run off as a sign that something was wrong. As the minutes dragged on Ichigo began to fret, pacing back and forth in front of the gate to the school as he muttered curses under his breath.

Finally he spotted her turning around the corner down at the end of the street. Relief surged through him as he took off towards her. "Taylor!"

Taylor looked up as Ichigo slowed to a stop in front of her. Ichigo frowned as he got a look at her face. Her brow was creased in worry and he didn't miss the flash of trepidation in her eyes before she managed to control it. "Taylor…what was that about?" Ichigo asked her quietly, suddenly feeling anxious.

Taylor blinded him with one of her fake 'everything's ok' smiles that she had developed recently. "Nothing. Don't worry about it Ichigo," she told him casually as she moved around him, heading in the direction of the Urahara Shop.

Ichigo felt another surge of irritation. He understood why Taylor was trying to hide her pain from him even though he didn't think she needed to. But this…as far as he knew this- whatever _this_ was- had nothing to do with her mother. There was something else worrying her and she knew that Ichigo would be more than willing and happy to be her confidant. She didn't need to hide this from him. That she was refusing to confide in Ichigo after everything they had been through hurt him deeply.

"Damn it, Taylor! Tell me what the hell is going on!" Ichigo snapped, his temper getting the better of him. He reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. He instantly felt remorseful, however, as Taylor stopped cold, her shoulders tense.

Ichigo had just opened his mouth to apologize when Taylor interrupted him, her voice cold. "I already told you that it was nothing Ichigo. It's late. I'm going home."

Ichigo dropped Taylor's hand as if he had been burned. She hadn't spoken to him with such a harsh tone since they had first met. He was baffled and wounded that she didn't seem to trust him anymore- it felt like a Menos Grande had just kicked him in the stomach or something. Ichigo was unable to follow Taylor for a moment until he shook off his shock. When he caught up with her, Taylor didn't look at him and Ichigo couldn't help but feel like something between them had just broken.

Somewhere, in the back of Ichigo's mind, a voice laughed.

…

I sit on the porch of the Urahara Shop gazing at the moon as anxiety gnaws at my insides. What the hell is Shinji doing here? Does it really have something to do with Ichigo? And if it does…what am I going to do about it?

I shiver slightly as Wakana's faint memories drift across my consciousness. It's true that most of her memories are gone now, but the most emotionally charged ones have been the slowest to fade. The night of Aizen's experiment. Leaving the Vizards. And those final weeks where Wakana was slowly losing her mind to the Hollow inside her.

Is Ichigo really going through that right now? I wouldn't be surprised after what happened in the Soul Society. But I really hope not. I don't want to see him have to face that. Wakana's memories are awful. Even though they're not mine I can barely stand remembering them. And if he is…I don't know what I can do to help him.

The door behind me slides open and I glance over my shoulder to see Urahara step out into the moonlight. He turns his contemplative gaze upwards towards the moon as mine has been.

Neither of us says anything, until a massive Hollow's spiritual pressure erupts nearby. With a gasp I am on my feet- reaching for the gikongan, which always used to be in my pocket- before I realize what I am doing. Right. I don't have powers anymore. I don't even have a gikongan. My body goes limp and I flop back down onto the porch. Damn it. _Damn it!_ There's a Hollow nearby and I can't do anything. Another powerful Hollow emerges, setting me even more on edge and reinforcing my own feelings of powerlessness.

After a long moment of silence and growing frustration I ask, "Why didn't you tell me Shinji was here?"

Urahara looks down at me, his face unreadable. "I didn't know he was here."

"But you know now."

"Yes. You can feel their spiritual pressures can't you?"

I nod. It's faint, and difficult to make out over the Hollows' spiritual pressures, but I can just feel Ichigo's and Shinji's spiritual pressures clashing in the distance. There goes any hope I had that Shinji wasn't here for him. "Does that mean that the others are here as well?"

"Probably."

There is the sound of hurried footsteps and the door slides open again revealing Yoruichi in her human form. "Urahara that's…"*** Yoruichi trails off as she spots me.

"I already know," I tell her tersely. "He showed up at school today."

Yoruichi doesn't respond. After another brief moment Urahara turns around and joins Yoruichi inside, closing the door behind him. Undoubtedly they're going to go and discuss what the arrival of the Vizards means and lay out their plans. I'm not invited, but why should I be? I don't have my powers anymore. I can't _do_ anything.

Damn it…I _hate_ this. I may be here this time, but without my powers I'm useless. The people I care about are in danger, facing potential death and/or insanity, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. It's just like how I couldn't save my mom…

My hands curl into trembling fists against the porch as I hunch over, losing the battle against the tears welling up in my eyes as my chest threatens to tear itself apart.

**Author's Note**

So here's the first chapter of the sequel. Sorry it's so short, but it's kind of an introduction to this little arc. To be honest it was kind of hard to write. I actually had like three pages and then I deleted it and rewrote because I didn't like how it came out. Also I should probably warn everyone that this story is probably going to be more angsty and depressing than The Natural Blonde. Or at least it's supposed to be. I haven't written a lot of angst so far, so I'm sure how it will go. Though it will still ultimately be adventure/romance. Also this story will probably be shorter than the first one. I'm trying to focus more on Taylor and her story in this one than on the Bleach plot, though I will still follow that pretty closely. Though I did mess with the timeline in this chapter. Oh well! That's my artistic license right?

I'm sorry if my portrayal of Taylor's grief wasn't very good. I'm fortunate in that I haven't had anyone really close to me die yet, so I can't honestly say that I don't know how it really feels. However, while Taylor's grief doesn't play that much a role in the story right now, I will be bringing more of it in later. So we'll just have to see how it goes, I guess.

Citations:

Between the * & **- English language version, Vol. 21, Ch. 184, by Viz

*** English language version, Vol. 21, Ch. 185, by Viz

REVIEWS! I love reviews! It's always nice to get feedback and they motivate me to update faster. So if you read, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!

Anyways it shouldn't take me too long to get the next chapter up.

Thanks for reading!

**imagination junkie**


	2. The Breaking Point

_**Disclaimer**_: _I don't own Bleach, its characters, or its plot. I do, however, own my OC and her story. So no touchy :)_

**Chapter 2: The Breaking Point**

Ichigo is very preoccupied today. He just sits there staring off into space. It's got me worried. I bite my lip as I wonder what he could be thinking about. I suppose the most obvious answer would be what happened last night. His fight with Shinji never came to anything more than a few blows, but who knows what Shinji said to him. And then there was that other spiritual pressure that appeared and defeated one of those massive Hollows. It was a definitely a Soul Reaper, but I have no idea who.

Or could it be…Ichigo isn't still mad at me about yesterday is he? That would be stupid. I mean, yea, we snapped at each other, but it's not like it was a real fight or anything. And everything was fine this morning…no. I'm lying. It wasn't it. Ichigo still came to walk to me to school and he smiled and everything when he saw me, but something was definitely off. I'm not sure what, but…

My heart twists painfully at the thought that Ichigo could still be mad at me. I sneak another glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He doesn't notice. _Please _tell me he isn't still mad at me.

The door to the classroom slides open followed by Orihime's cheery greeting. "Hello everyone! Good morning Ichigo!"

I turn around just in time to see Shinji appear beside her. "Hello Ichigo!" he shouts, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"Oh! Shinji! Good morning," Orihime says, turning to him and looking startled.

"Orihime!" Shinji crows. "You remembered my name!" He then throws his arms around her in a hug that's probably too intimate to be appropriate. I have to resist the urge to slam my palm against my face. Surely he wasn't always this big of an idiot.

Shinji's hug does not go down well. Keigo immediately starts throwing a fit and Chizuru…let's just say she'd probably be a match for Tatsuki right now.

Things carry on like this for several minutes before Ichigo suddenly stands. I can't see his eyes, but I can tell how angry he is by the set of his mouth. And the spiritual pressure rolling off him…it nearly suffocates me. "W-wait, Ichigo," I say, making a grab for his hand.

Whether I miss or he avoids it I'll never know, but he stalks towards the back of the classroom nonetheless. "Come out here for a second Hirako,"* Ichigo growls, grabbing Shinji's shirt and dragging him from the classroom.

This is not good. I stand too. "Are you ok?" I ask Orihime as I pause beside her.

"Yea I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be ok?" she questions, puzzled.

I give her my best reassuring smile. It only seems to confuse her more. "Don't worry about it."

Orihime exchanges glances with Chad and even Uryuu, who seems quite preoccupied today as well. Also not good. They've noticed too. Things are about to get a lot more complicated. Suddenly extremely anxious about what Ichigo and Shinji are doing I head out into the hallway to find them.

When I do Ichigo has Shinji slammed up against one of the railways outside on one of the raised walkways that connect the school buildings. I pause around the corner. I can hear what they're saying, but just barely. I lean around the corner a tiny bit and sneak a quick peak. Shinji's got that damn Cheshire grin on again, but it's much more sinister. And Ichigo…I don't think I've ever seen him look so afraid before. Anxiety makes my stomach twist uncomfortably.

**"Oh come now, Ichigo, don't tell me you haven't already noticed. Your inner Hollow is slowly starting to take over. It's already so powerful you can barely control it."

I have to slap my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping out loud. Shinji…he's just full of shit, right? _Right?_ But with the way Ichigo's eyes open at Shinji's words, the dread that crosses his face…no, please tell me this isn't true!

"You should come with me, Ichigo. I'll show you how to save your sanity."**

As I lean back against the wall I keep my hand over my mouth. My stomach…I feel like I'm going to be sick. That's how angry and afraid I feel. This can't be true…I don't want it to be true! Not Ichigo…please not Ichigo. But it would certainly explain why Ichigo's been so preoccupied. A few of Wakana's memories flash through my mind and I start shivering. It's so awful…There has to be something I can do to help him!

"Stay away from me!" Ichigo's snarled response has me peeking back around the corner again. He shoves Shinji roughly up against the barrier again and walks away, heading in the opposite direction from me. He's so tense his shoulders have started to tremble. Ichigo…

Shinji stands, fussing with his tie and shirt. "Jerk," he mutters, glancing at Ichigo's retreating back. His eyes turn to me as I stop a few feet away from him. He throws the stupidly cheerful smile he had when he came into the classroom this morning back on. "Taylor! You came to check on me, how sweet!"

"Leave Ichigo alone."

"I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said, leave Ichigo alone!" What I intended to be a quiet command turns into a shout as I lose my hold on my temper. Ichigo doesn't need this shit from Shinji. He doesn't need to be hounded about joining the Vizards, about how he's going to lose control to his Hollow. Especially if that's what's really happening. I hate seeing that expression of terror on Ichigo's face. He shouldn't _ever_ look like that.

Shinji's expression falls again, his eyes suddenly hard and his mouth a thin, grim line. "Didn't I say something about this yesterday? About _staying out of business that isn't yours_?" I can't stop myself from flinching at the dangerous tone in Shinji's voice.

The corners of Shinji's mouth turn upwards in a cruel smile. "You're concern for Ichigo is certainly endearing, but this doesn't have anything to do with you. And if you keep trying to get in my way—"

"Wakana Tsukino."

Genuine surprise flashes across Shinji's face. "What?"

"Wakana Tsukino. That name means something to you doesn't it?"

"Yes, but—"

"I'm the human that she gave her powers to."

Shinji's face is blank of everything except for shock for a moment. Then his eyes narrow. "You don't say. Interesting. That would certainly explain a few things. But that doesn't tell me how you knew who I was yesterday." He watches me expectantly.

I take a deep breath before I tell him. Who knows how he's going to take it? "She gave me her memories by accident too."

Shinji doesn't look surprised this time. Just intrigued. "I see. Well that is definitely interesting. I take it she's dead then?" I nod in response. Shnji's expression turns faintly sad. "That's too bad. I hope you don't have any intentions of taking her place though. We didn't want her back."

I snort. "Trust me I don't want to join you guys," I snap irritably. "I don't have her powers anymore anyways."

Shinji looks surprised again. "You don't? How come?"

I intend to just say it. But I don't think I can just say. It comes out as hiss, the rage and hate dripping from my lips and making them burn. "Aizen."

A dark shadow of anger crosses Shinji's face before it suddenly changes to carefully controlled blankness. He's not fooling anyone though. Every single muscle in his body is pulled so tight they seem like they're about to snap. Suddenly he exhales and let's everything go, the motion seeming to drain his energy. "You don't say…"

"Yea…"

Shinji mentally shakes himself. "Well, if you have Wakana's memories then I'm sure you know how it is to go through the Hollowfication process and—"

"That's exactly why I want you to leave Ichigo alone." Shinji blinks uncomprehendingly at me. "He's got enough shit to deal with without you bothering him about this all the time. He doesn't want to join the Vizards, so just leave him alone. He's way too stubborn and he's never going to do it just because you tell him he should. And besides that he's strong. He can handle his Hollow just fine without your help. He'll be fine!"

This last bit was meant to convince Shinji but, as a small corner of my mind whispers, it was really me trying to convince myself. Ichigo is strong, I know that without a doubt. But can he really handle his Hollow on his own? Can he fight the madness and win without the Vizard's help? Idiot! Of course he can, what are you thinking? This is Ichigo we're talking about!

My clenched and shaking fists betray my doubt.

Shinji cocks his head to the side for a moment before suddenly turning around. I jump slightly, taken a back. "Ok, fine, you win. I'll leave him alone," Shinji says airily, waving a hand carelessly as he walks away. "If he's as tough as you say he is I'm sure he'll be fine."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Thank goodness he finally listened.

"But!" When I look back up Shinji is throwing me another Cheshire grin over his shoulder. "I wonder…what're _you_ going to do that will help him?"

Too confused to come up with an answer to that, I stay silent as Shinji disappears around a corner and out of sight.

…

The rest of the day is quiet. Ichigo returns halfway through fist period looking strangely emotionless and true to his word Shinji leaves him alone. But unfortunately for me his words won't leave _me_ alone.

"_I wonder…what're _you_ going to do that will help him?"_

The problem is I have no idea. My mind has run in circles all day trying to figure it out. At first I tried to convince myself that Ichigo will be fine, that he's strong enough to handle this on his own. But every time I'd see his face as Shinji told him that he knew he could barely control his Hollow. He was so frightened… There's no way that I can doubt that Shinji was right.

So then I tried to figure out what I could do. I don't think talking would do much good. It might help him keep his sanity for a little while longer, but in the end the result would still be the same. I could try to help him control it, but, honestly, how the hell am I going to do that? I don't even have my powers anymore.

So, finally, I've come to the one and only logical conclusion. Somehow I've got to convince Ichigo to go the Vizards. It freaking pisses me off, but I don't know what else to do. I know they can help because all of them can control their Hollows now. Ichigo won't like it and I wish he didn't need their help, but I also know what will happen to Ichigo if he doesn't do something. And I don't ever want to see him go through that.

So I begin our walk home extremely nervous as I try to figure out a way to broach the subject. Ichigo hasn't said more than a few words to anyone since he came back to class and he seems completely lost in thought. It makes me shiver to know that he's not alone in his head.

I suppose that's what really motivates me to speak.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo stops and glances around like he hadn't even noticed where he was. Finally he turns and looks at me. That expression on his face, that emptiness in his eyes makes my chest hurt. "What is it Taylor?"

I find I'm unable to make eye contact with him as I continue. "Ichigo…I saw you talking to Shinji today." Awareness suddenly flickers into life in his gaze and he gives me a wary look. I take a deep breath. "And…I know what you two were discussing."

Ichigo's eyes harden. "I don't know what you're talking about," he says quickly, turning away from me. Every line in his body suggests his intention to keep walking.

"Wait Ichigo! Please!" I exclaim, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Please Ichigo, just listen to me," I beg. He stops moving, but the tension in his body doesn't relax in the slightest.

"Ichigo…" I look down again. I can't believe I'm about to say this. I seriously can't believe it. But it's for him. I'm only doing it because I care about him. Because I…I love him. And I'm terrified of losing someone else I love. "Ichigo…I think you should join the Vizards."

"_What?"_ Ichigo's voice is incredibly harsh, snapping through my consciousness like a gunshot. I glance up to see him glaring at me over his shoulder, his gaze filled with so much fury that I take a step back and drop his hand, suddenly feeling as though I've been burned.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Ichigo all but snarls as he starts to walk away again.

Panic wells up in my chest and threatens to drown me. "Ichigo don't leave! Just here me out, please!" I'm pleading now, desperately begging him to stay. And not just to listen to me…damn it I'm still such a coward. I don't think I could handle it if he just walked away from me like this.

Ichigo stops again, thankfully, but I can tell how angry he still is. "Listen to me Ichigo." I begin to speak as fast as I can, the words pouring out of my mouth without my control as I try to say everything before he starts moving again. "I know about your Hollow. I felt it when we were in the Soul Society when you were fighting Byakuya Kuchiki. And there's Wakana memories. She had a Hollow too, she was a Vizard. And Ichigo…Ichigo…her memories are horrible. At the end when she was losing control and the Hollow was taking over…it was…it…" I can't even finish my sentence as a cold chill runs through my body, Wakana's memories flashing unbidden through my mind once again.

I do my best to shake it off. "Please Ichigo, that's why I want you to go to them. They can help, really. They all have Hollows too, but they learned to control them. I'm sure Shinji can…"

My voice trails off as Ichigo suddenly stiffens, his entire body going rigid. Apparently mentioning Shinji was the wrong thing to do. Dread grows heavy in the pit of my stomach as Ichigo slowly turns to face me.

"I don't what you're talking about."

A shock like a bolt of lightening runs through me. Ichigo's voice, Ichigo's eyes, Ichigo's face. They're all completely and utterly blank. Dead. Hollow. He has completely rejected everything I just said. And it feels like he just completely rejected me. Pain pierces my chest as cold and as hard as a steel blade- and I know that feeling well.

I try to choke down the hot tears that threaten to spill as Ichigo turns away from me. "I don't talk to me about this again," Ichigo commands, his voice just as calm and emotionless as before.

And then he walks to away from me. I watch him go in a daze as something inside me shatters.

…

I've been meaning to come here for a while now. No, really I have. I just haven't been able to work up the courage. I just couldn't face her. But now…I don't know where else I should go.

Gravel crunches beneath my feet as I walk past row after row of gravestones. They've all got flowers at their feet, incense sticks with burnt ends sticking up into the air. All except for one. A small headstone at the end of one the long rows. It is bare except for my mother's name carved into the granite. I didn't even think about it…I should have brought some flowers too.

"Hi mom," I whisper, reaching out and tracing my mother's name with steady fingers.

Urahara really has been kind to me during this whole thing. When my mother died he paid to have her cremated and to settle her in this plot. He even bought this head stone. He's expects me to pay him back, of course, but he's made it clear that there's no time limit on this particular loan. And he's letting me stay with him for free. He keeps saying it's just until I get back on my feet, but I know he isn't going to kick me out. Urahara…really, thank you.

I was hoping that coming to my mother's grave would give me some sense of peace. I've been too afraid to come until now, but with what just happened with Ichigo…my desperation overrode my fear. It's not working though. If anything I feel even worse than I did before.

My fingers that still rest on the headstone begin to tremble. I lost my mother because I wasn't here, because I couldn't stop her or help her. And now it's happening again. Ichigo is being taken over by his Hollow and I can't do anything. He won't listen to me and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even want me around now. I've never felt so powerless, so _helpless_, in my life. I don't know what to do anymore.

"I-I'm sorry mom…" I begin to cry, tears streaming down my face. It's been at least a week since I've cried. I've been trying so hard to not to, trying so hard to be strong. But I'm not strong. I'm weak. I'm a coward. I failed to save my mother and now I'm failing to save Ichigo. And so I cry. I cry for her, I cry for him, and I cry for myself. For my own weaknesses.

I don't know how long I stand there crying. It feels like days, but it's probably not more than a half hour or so. Only a sudden explosion and the descent of a massive spiritual pressure break my spell of self-hatred and sadness. Shock races through me. I've never felt anything like this before. The spiritual pressure is so dense and heavy that I'm frozen in place, my lungs struggling to breathe. The ground beneath my feet shakes. As quickly as it appears the pressure is gone and I collapse to my knees gasping for breath.

What the…what the hell was that just now? It feels kind of like a Hollow, but way too strong. Instinctive terror drips coldly down my spine as I stretch my senses out. The source of the spiritual pressure is still there. And there are two of them. Before I know it I'm on my feet, racing out of the graveyard. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I mean it's not like I can do anything! But I'm running towards them anyways because I know all of my friends will be. And I just _can't_ do nothing while they fight those monsters.

I reach the main road and begin running towards the source of the spiritual pressure and the explosion- the top of a hill in a nearby park. Lots of people are beginning to gather in the street, wondering loudly what just happened. They shoot me strange looks as I run by, but I ignore them. Suddenly another spiritual pressure descends around me. But this one is different. Instead of pressing down it's…pulling?

I slow to a stop as the people around me begin to scream, writhing and clawing at their chests. What the hell? But then I feel it too. Something deep inside my chest is being tugged on, trying to pull away from my body. It's kind of like the sensation of leaving my human body as a Soul Reaper, but it's incredibly painful. I begin to cough, wrapping both arms around my chest as I fight the mysterious force.

Suddenly the soul of the man next to me is ripped from his body. It flies up into the sky and disappears into the tree line at the top of the hill. He drops like a stone and I don't need to look closely to know that he's dead. Horrified, I watch as the souls of the other people around me are sucked away, unable to do anything to stop it as I fight to keep my own soul. If I wasn't sure that the new arrivals were monsters before there's no doubt in my mind now.

Finally it stops and I collapse to my knees struggling to breathe again. I feel completely exhausted and all my limbs are trembling. But I can't stop here. I have to keep going. If they do whatever that was again more people are going to die, and I have to do whatever I can- even if there isn't much I can do- to stop it.

I manage to pull myself to my feet. After stumbling a couple steps I find my balance again and begin to run, my limbs feeling like jelly. My breathing is ragged as I reach the end of the road, the trees spreading out before me. There is a sudden flash of white light and another explosion, the shockwave nearly knocking me down. That spiritual pressure, that attack, I recognize them. It's Chad! And he's fighting those monsters! I can feel Orihime's spiritual pressure too…

Damn it! Without my powers its like I'm freaking blind to spiritual pressure. My senses were so overwhelmed by the other two that I didn't even notice that Chad and Orihime are here. I push myself to run faster as I enter the trees. There's no way that they can take those Hollows. I'm not sure I could have taken them even when I had my powers and was at my peak.

There is a spike in one of the Hollow's spiritual pressures in front of me and I feel panic shoot through me, adrenaline making my legs pump even faster. Orihime's spiritual pressure rises now. She can't seriously be thinking of fighting them!

I finally break through the tree line and into the clearing at the top of the hill. Chad lays sprawled out on the ground underneath Orihime's healing shield. His arm has been torn to shreds. Orihime stands before him, determination in every line of her body, as she fires her own attack at the giant of a man in front of her.

Or at least that's what I would call him if he were a man. He is enormous but the hole through the center of his chest and the white, bony growth on his face reveal his true identity. A Hollow of some kind for sure. He is ugly as all hell too, with thick black side burns and a bald head, four strange, ridge-like projections crowning his skull. The mask on his face covers his lower jaw and there are red markings on his cheeks. Behind the first man is a second, much smaller one. He is deathly pale with dark hair and piercing green eyes. He's a Hollow too, as evidenced by the hole just below his throat and the white, mask-like helmet covering the left side of his head. The markings on his face are like green tear tracks, extending from eye to chin on each side of his face. Both of them are dressed in white and carry swords that look suspiciously like zanpakutos.

Orihime's attack speeds towards the massive Hollow, but all he does is raise his hand and it shatters. ***"What was that thing?" he sneers. "A fly?" He suddenly steps forward and Orihime backs up with a gasp. "What do you wanna do with her, Ulquiorra?" he asks, directing his question to the smaller Hollow behind him. The grin he's wearing now threatens to make me sick. "Maybe we should take her back to Aizen to show him this weird healing power she possesses."

My blood runs cold as Orihime echoes both the Hollows words and my thoughts. Aizen? He's the bastard behind this? Rage begins to burn in my gut.

"No, that won't be necessary," the smaller Hollow- Ulquiorra, I guess- answers. His voice is completely and totally devoid of emotion. If anything he sounds bored. "Just kill her, Yammy."

"Gotcha."***

Shit! Shit, shit, shit! The bigger Hollow- Yammy- steps forward and reaches out to grab Orihime, his grin widening. I don't stop to think this time. I just rush forward. "Orihime!" How I make it in time I don't know, but I do, managing to push her out of the way before Yammy can grab her. Unfortunately, however, this means that he grabs me instead.

"Taylor, no!" Orihime cries as Yammy lifts me up to get a better look at me.

"What the hell? Another one? …Hey, Ulquiorra!"

"Put me down you bastard!" I shout, writhing in Yammy's grip as best as I can while he turns to show me to his companion.

"Is this the one we're looking for?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ulquiorra replies. "Just another piece of human trash. Now get rid of them, Yammy."

Yammy grins. As he turns his gaze back to me I screw up my courage and spit in his eye. If I'm going to die, I might as well go out kicking and screaming, right? Anger flashes across Yammy's face before being replaced by a sadistic smile as he wipes his eye. "With pleasure."

And then he begins to squeeze. At first it isn't so bad, but then his grip gets tighter making it difficult to breathe. And then things start…cracking. I can't stop myself from screaming as Yammy's hand tightens around me, my body losing the battle to keep everything in its proper place. I can here Orihime yelling, see out of the corner of my eye that she's close to tears. And then my ribs start cracking. I taste blood in the back of my throat. My vision goes dark.

_Tch. You're so weak. I suppose I should thank you though. No, actually it's the other way around._

High, cold laughter tinged with insanity echoes through my mind and then…nothing.

…

Compared to the vast majority of intelligent beings in all three planes of existence Yammy Llargo truly was an idiot. Of course when you have massive strength like him intelligence doesn't tend to be particularly necessary. In any case Yammy was stupid, so his first assumption when the human in his grip stopped screaming and went limp was that she was dead.

"Huh," Yammy commented, disappointed that his fun had ended so quickly. "Killed her already. What a waste of my time."

"Taylor!" Orihime cried, horrified, as Yammy tossed Taylor off to the side. She landed in a crumpled heap and didn't move. Orihime couldn't believe her eyes. Taylor couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be!

"Now it's your turn," Yammy said with an enormous grin, looming above Orihime. Orihime was frozen in place as she turned her frightened gaze to him.

Ulquiorra Cifer let out an almost inaudible sigh. He was perfectly aware that he was the brains on their current mission and while he had no desire to complain about it, it did not change the fact that dealing with Yammy was tiring. Ulquiorra would admit that he was surprised. Or at least as close to being surprised as he could be. This mission was not turning out the way he had intended…and Yammy was not helping matters.

"Yammy," Ulquiorra said, lacing his tone with as much irritation as he was capable of mustering.

"Huh?" Yammy grunted, glancing back over his shoulder at Ulquiorra. "What?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in annoyance at the interruption of his fun.

"Wow, you really _are_ as stupid as you look, aren't you?"

Yammy glanced around, confused, as he searched for the source of the strange voice. "What the hell?" he muttered as he finally turned to where he had thrown the dead human girl. The problem was that she wasn't dead. In fact she was rising to her feet.

Relief surged through Orihime as she watched Taylor stand. But it was tinged with alarm. Something was wrong with Taylor's voice. It sounded different- there was a warble to it, a strange vibration that distorted the sound. And then there was the spiritual pressure leaking from her. It was dark and dense and heavy. Orihime recognized it. She had felt from Taylor before, in the Soul Society, as well as from Ichigo. But she didn't know what it meant. Taylor still had some powers, clearly, but what kind?

Taylor straightened fully and Orihime gasped in horror as she got a look at the other girl's face. A thick, white substance was oozing from the corners of her left eye, slowly hardening across her cheek and forehead. Her mouth was stretched wide in an unnatural smile. And her eyes…the whites of her eyes had gone black and the irises were now golden. Taylor's grin widened and then she threw back her head and laughed, the perverted sound sending chills down Orihime's spine.

"What the hell, Ulquiorra?" Yammy shouted, rounding on the other Arrancar. "I thought you said she was just another piece of human trash!"

"It appears I was wrong."

"You've got that right," Taylor said, her grin turning cheeky. "While this body is certainly human, _I_ am not. And I am much more durable." She laughed again.

"Whatever," Yammy scoffed, striding towards Taylor. "I guess I just get to kill you again is all."

"Is that what you think?" Taylor asked, cocking her head to the said as Yammy closed in on her.

"Shut up!" Yammy roared, raising a fist to strike.

Taylor's grin stretched far beyond the point where it was proportional to the rest of her face as Yammy lashed out at her. She raised one hand and as Yammy's fist collided with it, it stopped.

"What the…?" Yammy asked, confusion filling his tone.

"What was that human saying? 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall?'" Taylor said, cocking her head to the other side. "Yes, that was it. Let's test that shall we?" With her other hand Taylor seized Yammy's wrist and then she threw him, twisting her body around and sending him sailing a good ten feet in the air before he crashed back to earth. Taylor laughed.

"What the freaking hell?" Yammy growled as he pulled himself to his feet again. The human girl was really starting to piss him off. "That's enough!" he shouted, striding forward again. "You're dead girl!"

Yammy pounced again, throwing a barrage of punches. But Taylor dodged every one, laughing the entire time. Yammy's anger was starting to make him see red. "Damn it! Stand still!" he roared.

"Ok." Yammy paused, shocked, as Taylor suddenly appeared on his shoulder. "Bye bye," she whispered in his ear, waggling her fingers in his face before raising her leg and delivering a powerful kick to his face. Yammy went flying again and Taylor dropped back to the ground, landing lightly.

"This really is too easy," Taylor commented as she strolled back into the middle of the clearing. "Would you like a go too?" she asked, turning a curious look on Ulquiorra.

"I doubt that will be necessary," Ulquiorra replied. This was interesting development. A Hollow inside a human soul. And a strong one at that. But at the heart of the matter the girl was still nothing more than human trash. Ulquiorra highly doubted that Yammy was so incompetent that he would need to step in to deal with this.

"Suit yourself," Taylor shrugged.

"T-Taylor?"

Taylor turned at the sound of the trembling voice from behind her. "Oh, I know you. You're one of her friends right?"

Orihime found she couldn't respond as Taylor leaned towards her, the white substance on her face now dripping towards her chin. Whoever this was it wasn't Taylor, that Orihime was sure of. But she had no idea who had taken over Taylor's body either. It terrified her on such a primal level that Orihime could barely breathe as Taylor's now golden gaze locked with hers.

"You are the one who got us into this, however," Taylor commented musingly, reaching out a finger. Orihime flinched and began to shake as Taylor lazily dragged it over her cheek. "She was so desperate to save you that she through herself in front of you without a second thought. Such a stupid thing to do. And I wasn't about to die because of it. So, I think I'll just go ahead and kill you myself. It won't be a problem again then."

Orihime let out a terrified squeak as Taylor's face contorted into a twisted mockery of a smile and her hand flashed towards Orihime's throat. Suddenly Taylor froze, her expression faltering and then disappearing all together as her eyes turned blank. Orihime dared to breathe for a second, as Taylor stood frozen before her. And then, abruptly, Taylor stumbled away anger and hate filling her expression.

"No! What the hell are you doing!" she screeched, hands grabbing at her head. "Stop you idiot! You ungrateful, selfish bitch! I just saved both our lives!" Orihime watched in horror and shock as her friend who wasn't her friend writhed and flailed before her.

As Yammy sat up, blood pouring from his nose, he saw his chance. The girl was completely distracted by something now, stumbling around and screaming like a banshee. Yammy rose to his feet and started forward for the final time, clenching his hands into fists and grinning with deranged eagerness.

"No, damn it! Stop, stop!" Taylor screamed. She seemed to lose control of one of her hands as it reached forward towards the still hardening mask on her face.

"No!" Taylor's shout became a scream of rage as her fingers tightened around the edge of the mask. And then she pulled. The mask popped off her face and began to crumble between her fingers.

Taylor collapsed forward, resting her hands on her knees as she panted. Orihime was at a complete loss. Taylor had now returned to normal- the strange spiritual disappearing and her eyes turning their normal blue- as quickly as she had changed in the first place.

Taylor, looking exhausted, had just turned her eyes up to Orihime and opened her mouth to say something when Yammy was upon her. "Now die!" he shouted gleefully as he slammed his fist into Taylor.

Orihime would have sworn she heard a crunch as the giant Hollow's fist connected with Taylor's body. "Taylor!"

She landed in a crumpled heap again some distance away. But this time she didn't get up again.

**Author's Note**

Second chapter yay! And it was suitably angsty yes? I think I did a pretty good job actually. And I bet you weren't expecting things to start happening so quickly. Well I did say that this was going to be shorter. It was fun to write Shinji and so much fun to write Taylor's Hollow. I've never really done any acting, but I've always thought it'd be way more fun to play the bad guy than the good guy. Seems like this carries over into writing as well.

And before anyone jumps on me about Ichigo being a total jerk in this chapter I want to say a couple things. In my head Ichigo losing control to his Hollow is the absolute worst thing that could happen to him. The threat that he could lose control and destroy everything that he loves is his worst nightmare and he's absolutely terrified by it. And at this point Ichigo is unwilling to admit even to himself that he has a problem and therefore spends a massive amount of energy denying it. So when Taylor's brings it up it's natural that he freaks out. I will get into Ichigo's POV about this in the next couple of chapters so if you thought it was OOC just hold your horses for a bit.

Citations:

*English language version, Episode 112, by Viz.

Between the **English language version, Episode 112, by Viz.

Between the ***English language version, Episode 113, by VIz

So I got thirteen reviews for the first chapter. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the response, especially considering how many people it seems were completely new and had gone and read the Natural Blonde just to get to it. I feel so loved. THANK YOU EVERYONE. And especially THANK YOU TO MY REVIEWERS: Evalyd Yamazaki, Buhund, ScaredOfDaDarkInLuvWithDaMOON, Polar8Bear, Shannyrox101, Akari-Chan'96, bored411, Shaybo27, Babbit2, Shadow knight112, LadyAmazon, Sora'struelover, violentyetawesome. And to Shaybo27, you've got freakishly accurate guessing skills once again! *laughs nervously* Anyways please REVIEW!

I started Japanese classes this week so my update speed will probably slow down a bit. But fear not, dear readers, the next chapter will come soon!

Thanks for reading!

**imagination junkie**


	3. Nightmares

_**Disclaimer**_: _I don't own Bleach, its characters, or its plot. I do, however, own my OC and her story. So no touchy :)_

_WARNING: The f-bomb gets dropped a couple of times in this chapter._

**Chapter 3: Nightmares**

Shadows engulfed the majority of the massive room. Ulquiorra could feel the many eyes on him as he approached the raised platform and the throne that sat upon it, but he ignored them, focusing only on his master. Light suddenly illuminated the throne revealing a man dressed in white.

*"Welcome Ulquiorra and Yammy," Aizen said, greeting the two Espada before him. "Alright, Ulquiorra, show us what you have experienced in the World of the Living. All of it."

"Yes sir," Ulquiorra replied tonelessly. He raised a hand to his left eye and removed it from its socket. "Here you are. See for yourselves," he continued, holding the eye out in front of him. Ulquiorra then crushed his eye, a sprinkling of shiny particles spreading throughout the room and allowing the other Arrancars to view his memories.

"I understand," Aizen said. Ulquiorra's memories held a surprise for him. The blonde-haired girl he was certain he had killed in the Soul Society had lived and still retained her Hollow powers, but it was clear she had no control over them. A curiosity for sure, but Aizen's interest did not lay with her. "So I see you have decided that he wasn't worth killing," Aizen continued, referring to the orange-haired boy, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Yes. The orders were to kill anyone who might be an obstacle. And we learned that there was no one."

"You're soft!"* another voice called out from the darkness.

The conversation about the orange-haired Soul Reaper continued, but it held no importance for one particular Arrancar. She was the youngest among the ones gathered in Aizen's throne room and as such was towards the back- she would not have dared to voice her opinions even if she had been paying attention to the proceedings. Instead, however, she focused on the image of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed human girl in Ulquiorra's memory.

The Arrancar smiled nastily, brushing a lock of dark-brown hair behind her ear as her dark brown- nearly black- eyes widened in excitement. She had been hoping she would find the girl, but she never expected to have her location delivered into her lap so soon. From the last bit of conversation she caught the Arrancar was certain that Grimmjow, as brash and impulsive as he was, was going to make a move soon. And she would take full advantage of that to make her own.

"I'm coming for you, _Taylor_," the Arrancar murmured into the darkness.

…

I wake up slowly, all my memories blending together into one giant blur and leaving me at a loss as to where I am and how I got here. Cracking an eye open I realize that I'm lying on my futon in my room at Urahara's. I sit up slowly. How did I get here? What was I doing? And then, suddenly, it all comes rushing back. Orihime, those crazy Hollows, and my own Hollow.

I leap to my feet and make a run for the door, suddenly desperate to know what happened. I'm alive, but what about Chad and Orihime? Just as I'm reaching for the door it slides open revealing a startled looking Orihime holding a tray with a towel and a bowl of water.

Surprise changes to joy on Orihime's face as I take a step back and allow her to step into the room. She sets the tray down on top of my dresser and then throws her arms around me in a hug. "Taylor you're ok! I'm so relieved!" Orihime cries happily.

Yes, I'm fine. But it's clear that Orihime isn't. It's impossible not to notice the cast on her arm as it awkwardly presses into my back, as well as the bandages wrapped around her forehead.

"Don't worry, I'm ok," I tell her returning Orihime's hug. Then I gently pull away and make firm eye contact with her. "But what happened?"

Orihime bites her lip and looks away, which only serves to alarm me more. "Well…it's kind of complicated. Here let's sit down!"

Orihime kneels down next to my futon and I reluctantly sit back down on it. I fix Orihime with an impatient stare as she fiddles nervously with the hem of her shirt. Just when I can't take it anymore Orihime takes a deep breath and begins.

"Well after you were…knocked out…Ichigo showed up. He was amazing fighting that big Arrancar." I raise an eyebrow at this. Arrancar? Not a term I've heard before. I make a mental note to ask Urahara about it later.

"But then…" Orhime trails off, her brow furrowing in confusion. "He just kind of froze. I don't know what happened and he won't tell me. But Ichigo was in danger so I jumped in to try to protect him. That's when I got hurt." Orihime fingers her cast sheepishly.

"And then Urahara and Yoruichi showed up. Yoruichi beat the big Arrancar up and then they just left. The smaller one, Ulquiorra I think, said something about Ichigo not being a threat anymore and that they were wasting their time."

"And Ichigo and Chad?" I ask anxiously. "They're ok too?"

Orihime smiles. "Yes they're fine. Except…there's something bothering Ichigo. Something to do with what happened." Orihime's smile falls and worry flashes through her eyes.

"I see," I respond quietly. I wonder- though there's no way for me to know for sure since I was unconscious- if Ichigo is still worried about his Hollow. It seems pretty likely, especially if I'm right in thinking that he 'froze up' because his Hollow took over. Just like…just like what happened to me.

_Oh so you finally remember me huh?_

I stiffen, drawing in a sharp breath, as that oh-so-familiar voice echoes through my mind.

Laughter. _What? You didn't think I was gone did you? Not hardly!_

"Taylor, are you okay?" I glance up to see Orihime looking at me curiously.

"I'm fine," I say hurriedly. "Ichigo…is he here?" I ask, hoping to distract her.

Orihime suddenly looks sad again and an odd empty feeling begins to seep into my chest. "No. He came to visit on the first day, but he hasn't been back since then. You've been out for a while."

"Oh." My stomach churns uncomfortably, threatening to make me sick, as my chest aches and tears burn in the corners of my eyes. So what if Ichigo isn't here. He's got his own family and school and stuff. But…but I wanted him to be here. I wanted him to be here waiting when I woke up. Then maybe I wouldn't feel so…broken.

It hurts. His apparent rejection, his sudden lack of concern for my well-being hurts more than I would have believed possible.

"Taylor…" I snap back to reality to see Orihime biting her lip nervously. "It's just that I want to know what happened to you. It's happened before in Soul Society, right? I'm grateful that you saved me, but…what on Earth was that?"

I reluctantly meet Orihime's eye. Genuine concern as well as a strong desire to understand fills her gaze. What should I tell her? Should I tell her the truth? I don't know. I'm not even entirely sure what happened myself.

_Really? You don't know?_ I stiffen again, trying as hard as I can to not be obvious as I hear my Hollow again. _That's ok. Don't worry. I'll tell you. I am going to take over Taylor. Without Tennyo you're weak. And I'm strong. And I'm just going to get stronger and stronger until I'm the one in control. Your body and your mind are mine!_ More laughter, this time tinged with enough insanity to make me shiver.

"What's happening? The same thing that's happening to Ichigo…" I murmur to myself, too stunned by the prospect of my bleak future to be properly terrified by it.

"I'm sorry?" Orihime asks expectantly, and I'm relieved to see that she didn't hear me.

"Sorry Orihime," I reply, putting on the fake smile that I've gotten so good at using over the past couple of weeks. "I'm still really tired and I think I need to rest some more. But we can talk about this later ok?"

Confusion is quickly replaced by concern on Orihime's face. "Alright, I understand," she says, rising to her feet. She picks up the tray and starts to leave, but pauses in the doorway. "I'll see you at school tomorrow right?" she asks with a smile.

"Yea," I lie, smiling back as best as I can. Orihime's smile brightens and then she is gone, sliding the door shut behind her.

I lay back down, hugging the blankets of the futon tightly around me, trying to get as much comfort as I can from them. My current situation is slowly starting to sink in and panic is growing in the pit of my stomach. My Hollow is still inside me and it's going to take over. I really don't know of any way to stop it without my powers. What can I do? _What can I do?_

_Nothing._

No there has to be something. I can't just let this happen without a fight.

_Nothing, nothing, nothing~! I'm telling you there's nothing you can do! _Laughter.

Shut up!

_Why? It's the truth._

Shut up!

_Oh, can't handle the truth? Can't handle the fact that you're going to lose to me? Just like you can't handle the fact that your mommy is dead and that boy with the orange hair you're so infatuated with hates your guts?_

SHUT UP!

I clap my hands over my ears even though I know it won't do me any good as tears suddenly spill unbidden from my eyes. My stupid freaking Hollow is right. I _can't_ handle this. And if things keep up at this rate my sanity will be gone by morning.

…

Morning comes and I'm still myself. Somehow. It's nearly noon by the time I get up and I'm running on very little sleep. My Hollow didn't quiet down until sometime early this morning. I get dressed and head downstairs. I knew I wasn't going to be able to go to school today or anything, but I really need help or I'm going to lose it soon. I slide the door open into the sitting room and Urahara, who is seated at the table, looks up from his cup of tea.

"Ah, Taylor, good morning. It's good to see that you're finally up. How are you feeling?" I fix Urahara with my haggard gaze as I sit down across from him. I don't think I honestly need to say anything.

Understanding flashes through Urahara's eyes. "I see," he says, his voice carefully neutral.

Silence stretches between us for what seems like a very long time. "Is there anything you can do?" I finally ask him softly. Do I really think that there's something Urahara can do? No. But wistful hope is filling my chest anyways.

"I'm afraid not. There is only one group of people who can help you now I'm afraid." I meet Urahara's eyes. His expression is apologetic, but firm.

"The Vizards…"

Yea. That's what I figured.

…

I stop before an old, rundown warehouse in an area that is surrounded by old, rundown warehouses. The one in front of me doesn't stand out anymore than the others. It would probably be easy to get lost in here if I wasn't careful. Not a particularly pleasant place to be, but definitely a good place to hide if you don't want to be found. And the Vizards don't want to be found. Luckily, I know what I'm looking for.

Hacchi's barrier is superb- he _was_ the Lieutenant of the Kido Corps after all- but it sticks out like a sore thumb for me. Unfortunately, however, I can't get through it. I stand there for a while trying to decide what to do before saying to hell with it. They must already know I'm here. I'm just going to knock.

I walk up to the barrier and lay my hand against it, immediately revealing it in all its yellow hued glory. Hesitantly I rap my knuckles gently against its surface, sending waves through the spiritual pressure. Nothing. I knock again. Still nothing.

Growing impatient I pound my fist against the surface if the barrier this time. "Open up Hacchi! I know you know I'm here! I want to talk to Shinji!"

_What're you going to do if they don't open up? Break down the door? _My Hollow snickers in that mocking tone that I've already come to loathe.

Would you just shut the fuck up? I'm here to get rid of you, you know!

_Ooooh was that supposed to be a threat? I'm terrified, really. Shaking in my boots._

Before I can come up with a snappy retort to that a door suddenly appears in the surface of the barrier and swings open, allowing me to go inside. Once I'm in I can feel the spiritual pressures that the barrier has been hiding. All the Vizards are here and I suddenly feel nervous. I know them, but they don't know me. How is this going to go?

I head inside the warehouse, but there isn't much to see- just dim light fading quickly into darkness. It's eerily quiet and I stop just a little bit inside the door, unwilling to leave the small amount of comfort that the light coming through the open doorway provides me. Suddenly there is a scuffle of movement from somewhere above me, a quiet curse, and then an excited, high-pitched cry.

"Wakana!"

I barely have time to register what's happening before I'm tackled to the ground by a blur of white. "M-Mashiro?" I gasp as the woman on top of me practically strangles me with a hug.

"Wakana! It's so good to see you! I was wondering if you were really going to be lost forever like Kensei said!" Mashiro pulls back and allows me see her face. I get an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as her hazel eyes meet mine, bright green bangs falling into them. "Wait…" she says, sounding confused. "You're not Wakana!"

"Mashiro! What have I told you about jumping on people like that!" Another voice roars behind Mashiro. She is suddenly yanked away from me, revealing the silver-haired man who has a hold on the back of her collar. His hairstyle is different now, but this guy is definitely Kensei.

"KENSEI!" Mashiro whines, suddenly flailing in his grasp. "It's not really Wakana, Kensei!"

Kensei, whose face was just irritated before, quickly becomes livid. Eye twitching and teeth bared in what could accurately be called a snarl Kensei gives Mashiro a good shake. "Of course it isn't Wakana! She's dead!"

"But if she isn't Wakana, who is she?" Kensei drags Mashiro away from me, leaving space for three more people to approach me. The one who has just spoken is a dark-skinned man wearing dark sunglasses, his hair styled in star-shaped afro. It's Love.

"Ah, what a good question," the man with long, wavy blond hair next to him says. Rose.

"Who gives a damn?" scoffs a woman with her dark hair in a braid. A pair of red glasses perches on the end of her nose. I shift uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. Lisa.

"Alright, alright let me see. Get out of the way!" a voice barks from behind the rest of the Vizards. Everyone else parts to make a path as I slowly rise to my feet. Another girl appears, this one much shorter than Lisa. I recognize her instantly- Hiyori has changed very little from Wakana's memories of her. She is short, her sandy blonde hair is still pulled back into pigtails and her expression of grumpy disdain has remained unchanged despite the years.

Hiyori scrutinizes me carefully for a long minute before speaking again. "Well you're obviously not Wakana. So who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Taylor. And I…I…" I trail off, suddenly at a loss for words. What can I say to these people? This is weird, really weird. The memories are fuzzy and faint, but I still know these people. But they don't know that. How can a possibly make them understand?

Hiyori's patience level doesn't seem to have changed either. "Well are you going to answer me or not?" she growls, at me her voice irritated. She continues before I get the chance to answer. "Feh, whatever. I don't care anymore. You're not worth our time. Get lost."

"But-!"

"I said _get lost_," Hiyori growls at me, reaching for the hilt of her zanpakuto where it is strapped to her back. I swallow nervously and raise my hands in a placating gesture.

"Now hold on a second Hiyori. You didn't give her enough time to answer."

Hiyori turns a vicious glare on Shinji as he steps out of the darkness behind her, his trademark Cheshire grin in place. Behind him looms the large, pink-haired figure of Hacchi. "Shut the hell up, dumbass!" Hiyori snaps at Shinji.

"Shinji," I say quietly. This attracts the other Vizards' attention and now they're all watching me with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"Well Taylor?" he replies, gesturing for me to continue.

"I…there's…" I find I can't say it. I can't admit out loud, in so many words, that Wakana's Hollow is still inside me. How stupid is that? I mean it's not like I don't already know. I'm not trying to deny it. But saying it out loud…I feel like somehow that would make if so much more real. And so much more terrifying. I find that at some point I've unconsciously pressed my hand to my chest, my fingers tangling tensely in the fabric of my shirt.

Shinji seems to understand, his smile falling and his expression turning serious. "I see. So her Hollow isn't gone after all?" I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak. The other Vizards are now looking between Shinji and I, their eyes wide with distrust and confusion. Shinji notices their stares. "I think you'd better start at the beginning, Taylor," he tells me.

…

After I recount my story it is very quiet. I'm nervous, but eventually the Vizards agree to help me. I grateful because I don't have anyone else to turn to. Shinji, Kensei, and Love disappear somewhere into the back of the warehouse to discuss how exactly they're going to help me get my Hollow under control, as, unsurprisingly, my lack of Soul Reaper powers is a problem.

I'm left under the care of the rest of the Vizards and needless to say it's…awkward at first. I don't blame them at all for being wary of me and uncertain of what to make of my presence within the group. I'm one of them in a way and at the same time I'm not. They begin to ask me questions- curious I think about how many of Wakana's memories I still have- and I answer them as best as I can. Slowly their demeanor towards me becomes less frigid and I begin to relax. I know these people still somehow and it seems like they're beginning to accept me too- not as a replacement for Wakana, but as myself.

It's gotten late now and the Vizards have gotten quiet, apparently out of questions. I feel kind of peaceful and safe, however, despite the fact that I can still hear my Hollow whispering in the back of my mind. I'm not dealing with this alone anymore now.

"Alright I've got a question." Everyone looks at Hiyori in surprise. She's hardly said anything since I explained about Wakana giving me her powers and she hasn't asked me any questions yet. I give her look that tells her to continue. "Do you have Wakana's memories of that night?"

I don't have to ask for clarification of what she means by 'that night'. The night all the Vizards became what they are. "Yes," I reply quietly. Wakana's memories flash through my mind and I find that my hands have suddenly clenched into trembling fists.

"And you said it was Aizen that took your powers away?" I meet Hiyori's eyes feeling slightly confused. Her gaze gives nothing away and it puts me slightly on edge.

"That's right."

"So you fought him. And you let him get away. You let him kick your ass and escape, despite knowing everything that happened?" Hiyori's expression has turned hard now and I feel…ashamed. Looking at the other Vizards' faces I see no sympathy.

I look down at my hands. In a way she's right. I knew how evil, how dangerous Aizen was and I still let him get away. I tried, yes, but still… I know how much they hate him. They would have killed for a chance like that. They wouldn't have let him escape.

Then again it's not like I owed the Vizards. But things are different now. The Vizards are going to help me control my Hollow, a debt I doubt I'll ever be able to fully repay them for. And…things are personal now. I don't just hate Aizen because he's evil. He has destroyed my life, and threatened everything I hold dear. I bite my lip to stop myself from crying as I think of my mother. If it hadn't been for him then maybe…

"Next time," I begin, but I have to stop and clear my throat. "Next time I _won't_ let him get away," I say, meeting Hiyori's eyes as fiercely as I can. She is unmoved.

"Hmph." My eyes slide over to Lisa. "If we don't get to him first."

Her voice is just as cold and indifferent as it always is, but I find a small smirk gracing my lips all the same at her words. "Right."

Suddenly a massive spiritual pressure descends on Karakura. I'm frozen in place for a moment as more appear, six in all. And every single one of them is an Arrancar just like the two guys that showed up a few days ago. Once again I'm on my feet before I even realize what I'm doing. And again I'm struck my own helplessness. This is going to be way too much for everyone to handle. They need my help, but I can't do a damn thing!

All the Vizards are on edge. "What the hell?" Hiyori hisses.

"Just what we needed," Lisa comments dryly. "More of them."

I turn to look at all of them to see them just standing there. This only makes me angry, fueling my frustration. "Aren't you guys going to do anything?" I shout.

"No." I move surprised eyes to a stoic looking Shinji who has finally returned, Kensei and Love at his back.

"What? Why not? Ichigo and the others need help!"

"It's not our fight," Shinji replies, his eyes hard and his voice unnervingly calm.

I'm so angry now that I'm trembling. They can help. Hell they could probably take out all those Arrancars with hardly any trouble at all! And they're not going to do anything because they don't want to get involved?

I'm just about to open my mouth and scream at them when multiple spiritual pressures erupt, clashing with the Arrancars'. I freeze in surprise as I vaguely recognize not just whom they are, but what they are. "Soul Reapers?" I breathe, hope and relief making my chest feel tight.

"That's right," Shinji replies wearing a smug grin. "Not only is it not our problem, but we're not needed anyways."

I turn a fierce glower on Shinji. I can't decide if he already knew that the Soul Reapers were and was letting me get worked up for shits and giggles or if he didn't know and is just using them as an excuse for not helping. Either way it pisses me off. I open my mouth to tell him off, but I'm interrupted again, this time by another Arrancar's spiritual pressure. This one is much closer- in fact it's right outside the warehouse.

The change in the Vizards is instantaneous. They all stiffen, their spiritual pressures suddenly hostile as they reach for their zanpakutos. As one they begin to move towards the door. I make to follow them, but Shinji holds out a hand to stop me.

"Stay here." He doesn't look at me as he says it, but it's clearly an order. I must have more of Wakana left in me than I thought because I freeze in place for a moment, his voice stilling me. Shinji follows the other Vizards outside, disappearing into the dark and leaving me alone inside the warehouse.

Wait a second. What the hell am I doing? I don't have to follow that bastard's orders! But something else is telling me I should stay put…and not just my sense of self-preservation. There is something strangely familiar about this Arrancar's spiritual pressure. I'm absolutely certain that I've never felt it before, but somehow I still know it. It unnerves me.

I debate internally about what to do for several seconds, before I finally decide that I have to see. Quietly I follow the Vizards outside.

It's dark. The nearest light is from several rows of warehouses over, leaving most of the surrounding area in shadow, minus the pool of faint light in the open space in front of the Vizard's warehouse. The Vizards have all spread out in front of me gazing out into the darkness where the Arrancar stands just out of sight.

Shinji sighs loudly and melodramatically. "You're not just going to stand there all night are you? I'm afraid we've got some other things to take care of, so if you could just move it along…"

"Oh don't worry. This will be over soon. I was just, ah, waiting for someone very important to appear."

Shock freezes me in place, stilling every muscle in my body. Even my heart stops for a moment. That voice…

The Vizards, all except for Shinji who remains relaxed at the front of the group, reach for the hilts of their zanpakutos at the sound of footsteps from the shadows. Slowly the Arrancar emerges, clearly not in any hurry judging by the relaxed pace of the footfalls. It is female. She is dressed in white lined with black just like Ulquiorra and Yammy were. Her outfit is different though- her pants are like fitted slacks and her top is long sleeved with a business-like collar.

Shock and dread make my heart race at a frenzied pace as her face comes into view. She is middle-aged. She was probably pretty when she was young, but age has not been particularly kind to her. She has dark brown, straight-as-a-board hair that falls down past her shoulders. He eyes are such a dark brown that they're nearly black and they are cold and hard and cruel. Her lips are curled into a malicious smile. She has a large splotch of bright red color on each cheek like she has had too much to drink and her mask takes the form of a large and elaborate earring hanging from her right ear.

"Hello Taylor," she sneers, her eyes locking with mine. I can't look away.

No. No, no, NO! My breath catches in my throat and suddenly I'm suffocating. My limbs begin to tremble as horror fills my mind and guilt rips through my chest. This can't be happening! This _can't be happening! This can't fucking be happening!_

My mother. The Arrancar is my mother.

It's too much. This is just way, way, _way_ too much on top of everything else. I open my mouth- to scream I think- as something inside me breaks. And then I'm falling, down first into darkness and then into heat and flames.

…

The Vizards all turned around at the sound of screaming. Shinji was confused at first, but as he whipped around he saw it was Taylor- though he hadn't a clue why she was screaming. She had fallen to her knees, her hands clutching her head as tears poured freely down her face. And the scream itself- it was full of so much pain and despair that it cut through Shinji's soul like a hot knife through butter, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

The Arrancar in front of him chuckled lowly and Shinji turned his attention back to her. "That's my girl," she sneered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shinji growled. This Arrancar's appearance, when she shouldn't have been able to sense that they were here, unnerved him enough as it was without whatever the hell was going on with Taylor.

The Arrancar's mouth twisted into a perverted version of an affectionate smile as she met his eyes, hers filled with half-crazed hate. "Taylor is my daughter."

Shinji heard several sharp in-drawn breaths behind him, as well as a 'Damn' from Kenji and a 'Shit' from Hiyori. He had to agree. This was not was he was expecting. He knew Taylor's mom was dead, but from what he'd understood it had only been about a month. And this was also not good. They needed to get Taylor away from her mother and calm her down quickly.

"Hacchi," Shinji began. But he never even got to finish his thought as the Arrancar suddenly disappeared from in front of him. There was more muttered cursing from the other Vizards behind him, echoing his own thoughts as he spun around towards where her spiritual pressure had reappeared. Shit, she was fast!

The Arrancar held Taylor up in the air by her throat, her body pinned against the wall of the warehouse. Her eyes were open but strangely blank as she sobbed quietly, hanging limply in the Arrancar's grip. Shinji cursed quietly under his breath. They had really screwed this up. There wasn't anything they could do to help Taylor now that wouldn't put her at greater risk.

The Arrancar knew it too. She glanced back over her shoulder at the Vizards, grinning manically, before grabbing Taylor's arm with her free hand and pulling. Taylor's body was ripped away from her soul as the Arrancar threw it away. Shinji winced internally as Taylor's body landed some twenty feet away, her Chain of Fate rattling loudly.

The Arrancar dropped Taylor, who landed on her feet but stood hunched over and leaning against the warehouse, and stepped back. The hair on the back of Shinji's neck stood up again as he felt the spiritual pressure leaking from the human girl. Was there anything that was going to go right tonight?

"Thank you, mother dearest," Taylor said, her voice full of sadistic amusement. But her tone was wrong, all wrong. It held the same odd distortion that the Vizards' voices had when they put on their masks. "That flesh suit was getting awfully…cramped."

Taylor stood up straight, threw back her head, and laughed, revealing what Shinji had been dreading seeing. The thick, white substance was oozing from around her left eye, hardening quickly as it dripped down her face and front. The whites of her eyes had turned black and her once blue irises were now bright gold. Taylor's human body had been the last thing standing between Taylor and Taylor's Hollow and now that it was gone Taylor had no defense. She was undergoing a complete Hollowfication.

Taylor- Taylor's Hollow- stepped forward, grinning widely at the stunned Vizards. She froze, however, as the Chain of Fate rattled loudly.

"Hmmm…" She looked down as though she hadn't realized it was there before. Slowly she raised a hand, sliding it up the chain until it reached the point where it entered her chest. Slowly she raised her eyes to look at the Vizards, a mocking smile on her face. "Well, I guess I won't be needing this anymore."

"No!" Shinji shouted.

But it was too late. With the horrible sound of screeching metal Taylor's Hollow ripped the Chain of Fate out of her chest. For a moment nothing happened, everyone just simply staring at the jagged hole where Taylor's Chain of Fate had been attached. And then dense and heavy spiritual pressure exploded from Taylor, the force of it so strong that Shinji had to cover his face with his arm.

When it died down Shinji was shocked and sickened by what he saw. Taylor's Hollowification had accelerated. The jagged hole was now smooth and circular like a regular Hollow's. Her skin had paled, leaving her complexion a ghostly shade of white. And the white substance that forms a Hollow's mask…it was everywhere. It was now pouring from both of Taylor's eyes as well as her mouth, dripping all the way down her body and hardening into strange and indistinct shapes.

Taylor's Hollow grinned, her mouth stretching too far to be natural for a human. Insanity glinted in her eyes as she cracked her neck. "Muuuuch better," she sighed loudly.

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. They had promised to help Taylor. They always kept their promises. The Vizards had realized long ago that all they had was each other and it was their mutual trust that had allowed them to survive for so long. By agreeing to help with her Hollow the Vizards had accepted Taylor as one of them. Their only law was that they watched out for one another. And now Taylor was undergoing a complete Hollowification. They had royally screwed this one up.

And now there was only one thing left to do. Only one thing they could do that would help Taylor now. Only one way to maintain that trust.

Put her out of her misery.

Expression hard, Shinji drew his zanpakuto, allowing the steel to scrape against the inside of the sheath as he did so. The other Vizards followed his example, carefully positioning themselves so that no matter which way the Arrancar and Taylor's Hollow tried to run they wouldn't be able to escape.

"You've left us with no choice," Shinji said quietly, though he voice carried easily in the tense silence.

"Oh? Is that so?" Taylor's Hollow asked benignly, cocking her head to one side as if in curiosity.

Anger flashed through Shinji. This was bad enough without the damn Hollow mocking their failure. Shinji opened his mouth to order the attack when a bright red light suddenly illuminated everything around them. Frustration and surprise made Shinji's eyes go wide as the Arrancar drew a cero from behind her back where she'd somehow managed to hide it as she charged it.

Shinji cursed loudly as the Arrancar released the cero. There was nothing any of the Vizards could do about it. It was too quick and at too close of a range for them to do anything but dodge.

By the time the light from the blast had faded the only thing left of the two Hollows was a closing garganta. Taylor's Hollow leaned down to the side, grinning at them all as the fabric of reality sealed itself shut.

"Bye bye!" she called with a mocking grin and a last twiddle of her fingers.

**Author's Note**

Chapter 3! Is it angsty enough for you yet? Ah ha I sure hope no one saw that coming. Don't worry though there's still a lot left to happen. I think this story is going to be a total of about 10 chapters long by the time I'm finished. Next chapter will mainly feature Ichigo and his POV about everything that has happened over the past two chapters. And boy oh boy do I like writing Taylor's Hollow, so you'll be seeing more of her too.

Part of the reason I went with this plot for this story (I had several that I was considering) was because I wanted Taylor to have a reunion with the Vizards. I will admit that this was not how I originally imagined it, but I changed some things in the first story that changed how Taylor's meeting with them would go. I still like the way it came out. Taylor will get another chance to interact with the Vizards towards the end.

Citations:

All dialogue between the * English language version, Episode 116, by Viz.

Eleven reviews! Awesome! THANK YOU SO MUCH to Polar8Bear, BittenbyWerewolves, Evalyd Yamazaki, Sora'struelover, bored411, LadyAmazon, violentyetawesome, pokemonjkl, Akari-Chan'96, Shadow knight1121, and Shaybo27! I greatly appreciate your support and I hope you will continue to review with as much as enthusiasm as you've already displayed!

I'm sorry it took me so long to get this one up. I've been fairly busy recently, but I will admit that I've also been getting distracted by some other writing and by reading a whole bunch of awesome Hetalia fanfiction. I've also got an interview for a job that I feel pretty confident about on Monday, so if I get that I will lose some more of my free time. I will keep updating, I promise! It may just take a little longer… :(

Thanks for reading!

**imagination junkie**


	4. The Sky is Burning

_**Disclaimer**_: _I don't own Bleach, its characters, or its plot. I do, however, own my OC and her story. So no touchy :)_

_WARNING: The f-bomb gets dropped a couple of times in this chapter._

**Chapter 4: The Sky is Burning**

The dark haired Arrancar and her companion paused just inside the door of Aizen's throne room. Grimmjow, with a bleeding stump where his arm should have been, pushed past them and shot a vicious glare their way before disappearing down the hall. The Arrancar and her companion exchanged glances- the Arrancar's slightly worried, her companion's vaguely amused. They continued forward again once Grimmjow's footsteps had faded.

Aizen smiled benignly as the Arrancar and her companion approached, stopping well away from Tousen, the large pools of Grimmjow's blood, and the charred mark on the floor where Grimmjow's arm had been incinerated. There certainly was a lot of excitement tonight.

"Etsuko, it seems that you've disobeyed my orders as well tonight."

"Yes, Lord Aizen," the dark-haired Arrancar replied, immediately kneeling and bowing her head as she sought forgiveness. "I'm sorry, but there was something that I needed to do."

"I see," Aizen replied, his voice easily filling the still chamber. "And I take it the reason was her." Aizen nodded towards Etsuko's companion.

"Yes, Lord Aizen," Etsuko answered, her voice betraying her nervousness now. "I needed to retrieve her."

"Very well. Step forward, friend of Etsuko," Aizen commanded.

The other being did as she was bid, stepping forward and fully into the light surrounding Aizen's throne. Aizen's lips turned upward in a cruel smile. He hadn't seen her like this before, but he did recognize her- it was the same blonde girl who had attacked him in the Soul Society, the one who had been in possession of Wakana Tsukino's powers.

Well she certainly didn't look human anymore. Whatever had happened it was clear that she had under gone a complete Hollowfication. Her face and body were completely covered in the bony substance that made up a Hollow's mask. It took on a similar shape over her face to what it had been in the Soul Society, but the covering of her body was…interesting. The substance had formed angelic like wings on her back and created the image of flowing robes over most of her body. The parts of her arms that were exposed detracted from this, however, as they were covered in sharp bony projections that formed vicious talons on the ends of her fingers.

"Who is she?" Aizen asked, curious despite himself.

"My daughter, Lord Aizen," Etsuko replied, finally raising her gaze from the floor. It amused Aizen to see hope in her eyes. "Her name is Taylor."

"I see." Fate was indeed cruel. That the human girl from Soul Society's mother had turned out to be Etsuko. He suspected that seeing her mother again was what trigged her Hollowfication. "Welcome Taylor. Tell me, what do you think of meeting me again like this?"

Taylor's eyes, with black whites and gold irises, sparkled with mirth. "Well, that's an interesting question," she drawled. Down below Tousen tensed, reaching for his sword. Aizen motioned for him to stop and then indicated that Taylor should continue.

"I'll freely admit that I still hate you. After all it's all your fault that I was trapped for so long first in that Soul Reaper's soul and then this puny human's." Aizen's smile widened. This Hollow was most amusing. "And I kinda wonder…" Taylor paused here, cocking her head to the side as if in thought. "If I should just go ahead and kill you now."

"Lord Aizen!" Tousen shouted, unsheathing his sword. Etsuko looked between him and her daughter, her expression alarmed.

Aizen simply chuckled. "I suppose you could do that," he said, his tone condescending. Taylor's eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "But even if you did manage to do so, what then? You certainly wouldn't escape from here alive."

"Hm…that's true," Taylor replied, cocking her head to the other side and raising a finger to where her chin roughly would be. "What would you suggest I do then, oh mighty overlord of all Hollows great and small?"

Tousen shifted forward, bringing his sword up into an aggressive stance, anger at Taylor's mockery rolling off him in waves. Aizen, however, just felt amused. And, as he was feeling rather charitable at the moment, he decided to let it slide. "Why don't you join us for now?"

Everyone in the room jumped at this suggestion. Clearly it had been the last thing anyone had been expecting. "Etsuko truly did no harm by fetching you tonight," Aizen continued, as though he hadn't noticed. "And I never did get the chance to fully study the effects of Hollowfication- all of my samples ran off before I got the chance. Observing you will be most informative, I believe. Please, Taylor Smithson, consider yourself a honored guest."

Aizen watched the Hollow consider his offer. He already knew she would accept it. A Hollow's first priority was always self-preservation and his offer was very generous.

Finally Taylor shrugged. "Alright. I suppose I can stick around for a bit."

Aizen smirked smugly. She would make an interesting pet project to help keep him occupied as his plans progressed. "Very good. Welcome to Hueco Mundo."

…

The wind blew, rustling Ichigo's hair and nipping at his clothing. The trees surrounding the clearing swayed in the breeze and the dust in the bottom of the crater formed little whirlwinds that raced each other around before petering out. He was standing on top of the hill in the park where Ulquiorra and Yammy had arrived and wondering when everything had gone so wrong.

Ichigo thought that it was in the Soul Society perhaps. That was where his Hollow had first emerged, after all, as well as the scene of Aizen's escape which had led to so many of his more recent problems. But Ichigo wasn't sure that was quite right.

There was, of course, what had been happening over the past week or so. Shinji's appearance. Ulquiorra and Yammy's attack. Grimmjow's assault from last night. But somehow that wasn't right either.

There were two main sources to Ichigo's current heartache and they were both connected- his Hollow and Taylor.

His Hollow, in some respects, was the easier of the two. It terrified him, certainly, but he knew now what needed to be done. All that was necessary for him was to do it. There was still the chance that he would be consumed by his Hollow's madness, but Ichgio felt that he still had some control over dealing with his Hollow even if he was at a disadvantage at the moment.

As for Taylor…he didn't even know where to start with her. Her mother's death had certainly put a strain on their relationship, but Ichigo wasn't worried about that. He understood that. Then there was the first day that Taylor came back to school and she was acting so secretive. He still didn't know where she had run off to after school. Her unwillingness to share it with him had hurt him deeply.

And then…then the next day she had witnessed Ichigo's confrontation with Shinji. That conversation had deeply unnerved him. How could Shinji possibly know how close Ichigo was to losing it? Ichigo didn't know, but it had frightened him to admit that Shinji was completely right. The rest of the day Ichigo had been lost in his own thoughts and fears. But he did know that he didn't trust Shinji and didn't want to have anything to do with him.

That afternoon Taylor had told him that she knew everything that was going and that she thought he should join the Vizards. He'd been shocked. Again, how could someone know? And then she had just told him to go join this mysterious that had randomly showed up to recruit him. That had attacked him, that was playing with his mind. The one person who Ichigo was certain would always be on his side had betrayed him by supporting that unknown entity and Ichigo had been angered as much as he'd been hurt. So he'd stormed off, not wanting to even look at Taylor again for a while.

Later that afternoon Ulquiorra and Yammy had arrived. He'd been slow getting there, wasted time as he fretted about his Hollow. He had shown up just in time to watch Yammy take Taylor out, but not soon enough to do anything. Guilt ripped through Ichigo's chest at the memory. Once again Ichigo had failed to protect Taylor, hadn't gotten there in time to save her. And this time, without her powers, she had gotten hurt. Hell, Ichigo had failed completely and miserably that day. Orihime and Chad were hurt too.

After that Ichigo just couldn't face Taylor. He had sat at her bedside the first night sick with worry and guilt, but when the morning came he found he was terrified of facing her when she woke up. He knew how fragile she was, how much she needed his support so soon after her mother's death and yet he had gotten so caught up in his own fears that he had walked away from her without a second thought. And then, when she had needed him to protect her, he'd failed.

Rukia, Renji, and the other Soul Reapers had arrived shortly after that and informed him that Aizen had been behind it all and that his goal was to destroy the Soul Society. Ichigo hadn't been surprised, but it was another blow to his confidence. Aizen was definitely evil and after seeing everything that he'd caused in the Soul Society Ichigo definitely wanted to help take him out. But Aizen had defeated him before so easily and now…there was no way Ichigo would be able to stand up to him.

And then there was last night. He had gotten his ass handed to him by Grimmjow and there was nothing he could do about it. Except lose control. And he couldn't do that either. Rukia had gotten hurt, nearly killed. Lately it was just one failure after another for Ichigo. He'd never felt more inadequate in his life. It wasn't like when his mother was killed when he was a kid. There wasn't really anything he'd been able to do then. But he could do stuff now, could protect the people that were important to him…but he wasn't.

Ichigo couldn't face Taylor. He just couldn't. Not when he'd failed so many times. Not when she was sure to hate him, for his selfishness and his weakness. Ichigo didn't think he'd be able to handle seeing contempt and hatred in her eyes. He was such a coward. Self-loathing settled heavily in Ichigo's gut as the wind whipped around him again.

Slowly Ichigo raised his head, coming to a new decision. He was a coward, yes, and he wouldn't blame Taylor if she now hated him. But he couldn't keep running from his fears anymore. He would got to the Vizards and learn to control his Hollow. He would stop the Arrancars and their plans. He would defeat Aizen. And then, then he'd go back to Taylor and face her and whatever wrath she threw in his direction. He owed her that at least.

Ichigo turned away from the crater and began to walk, new purpose filling each step. He allowed his feet to take him where they willed. And they led him to the front of a rundown warehouse, the big bay door rolled halfway open. Ichigo snorted. Some welcome.

…

It had been a couple of weeks since Ichigo had begun his training with the Vizards and, if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was enjoying it. Sure he was pounded to within an inch of his life practically everyday- mainly by Hiyori- but he could now control his inner Hollow and was even learning how to use it. He was getting stronger. And, for the first time since he had returned from the Soul Society, he felt hopeful.

He was enjoying the company of the Vizards despite himself as well. They were an odd group, but Ichigo found that he meshed with them quite well. While he would never admit whether he was one of them or not, he was glad to call them his friends. Though he still eagerly awaited the end of his training, the fight against Aizen, and the chance to reunite with his friends…and Taylor. He was finally confident he could face her now no matter what her feelings for him were. But Ichigo did _really _hope she didn't hate him.

Ichigo was so focused on his training- more like not getting killed by Hiyori- that he didn't notice Orihime until she called out to him. He didn't have a clue how she had found him, but the reason for Orihime's visit was clear soon enough as she explained about the Ooken and how it was likely Aizen's goal.

When she was finished Ichigo lost himself in thought as he pondered the new information. Until he noticed Orihime staring at him. *"What're you staring at?"

"Oh, nothing!" Orihime replied quickly. "I was just thinking that you don't seem very surprised by all of this."

"I'm surprised alright,'" Ichigo replied, looking away and bringing a finger to his chin as he again pondered the implications. "I just don't know how to act." Then Ichigo decided it wasn't worth his time to worry about it. Aizen's motivations were certainly important, but it wasn't his concern- he just needed to focus on defeating him.

"Wipe that worried look of your face Orihime," Ichigo continued, standing. "It'll be ok. I'll stop Aizen. I'll promise." Ichigo put as much conviction into his voice as he could and even he believed it.

"I know I can still get stronger. I can really feel it now," he said, more to himself than to her. Ichigo turned back to Orihime. "I appreciate you giving me the heads up. Thanks a lot."*

Orihime was too awed for a moment to reply. The change that occurred in Ichigo over the past few weeks was astounding. He wasn't afraid any more, she could tell. And he was definitely getting stronger. A little bubble of joy floated in Orihime's chest. Ichigo's confidence was finally back.

It wasn't until Ichigo had approached the short, blonde girl who was his training partner that Orihime remembered something that she'd wanted to ask him. "Oh, wait! Ichigo!" she called, rising to her feet and waving to him.

Surprise and confusion flickered briefly across Ichigo's face before he jogged back over, Hiyori glaring daggers at his back. "What is it?"

"I almost forgot." Orihime laughed, suddenly feeling as ditzy as everyone believed she was. "Taylor hasn't been to school since the day that the Arrancars were in Karakura, but when I asked Urahara he said she was here. I don't see her…so is she doing ok?" Orihime fixed Ichigo with a hopeful smile. She'd been worried about Taylor and was really hoping she'd get the chance to see her.

A cold shiver ran across Ichigo's skin and dread began to pool coolly in his stomach. "Could you repeat that?" Ichigo asked, feeling slightly dazed. Surely he'd heard her wrong.

Orihime looked confused. "I just asked if Taylor was here. I haven't seen her in a while…" she trailed off, suddenly looking worried.

"No…no I haven't seen her." Ichigo felt like his body had just been plunged into ice. If Taylor wasn't here and she wasn't out and about living her normal life…where was she?

"She was here." Orihime and Ichigo both jumped before turning their startled gazes on Shinji.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"She was here," Shinji replied, his tone and expression bored. "But she's not here now."

"Where did she go?" Orihime was starting to feel disturbed now.

A dark shadow crossed Shinji's face. "Hueco Mundo."

There was a funny buzzing noise in Ichigo's ears. Clearly his hearing was off today. "What?" His question came out as more of a croak than an actual word.

"An Arrancar showed up that night a couple of weeks ago with that other bunch. She took Taylor with her back to Hueco Mundo."

Orihime clapped her hands over her mouth with a gasp of shock. Ichigo's mind was as frozen as his body. If he hadn't been able to process all the stuff about the Ooken it was nothing compared to this. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. It just _couldn't_ be possible! Taylor had been abducted without his knowledge, without him doing a single thing to try and stop it? No, no, _no!_

And then it all suddenly clicked into place. Rage coursed through Ichigo's veins, hot and dangerous. "_What?_" he shouted, losing control over his spiritual pressure and nearly knocking Orihime off her feet.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Ichigo." Shinji's expression was still just as indifferent, but his voice was cold steel.

"She was here!" Ichigo shouted, grabbing the front of Shinji's shirt. He was so angry his hands were shaking. "She was here and you just let her get taken? What was she doing here in the first place? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Enough Ichigo." Shinji replied, grabbing Ichigo's wrist. Ichigo tried to keep a hold of Shinji, but his grip was like a vice and Ichigo was forced to let go. Shinji forced him back several steps, meeting Ichigo's enraged glare steadily. "You're an idiot if you think we didn't try to stop it, but there was nothing we could do." He had purposely ignored Ichigo's second question. It would only make Ichigo more upset if he knew the truth.

Shinji's tone became mocking as he continued. "What's the big deal anyways? What, are you in love with her or something?"

It was nearly a physical effort for Ichigo to not punch Shinji's face in, but he managed it. Instead he turned away, ripping his wrist out of Shinji's grasp, and stalked towards the stairs that led back up to the main level of the warehouse.

"W-where are you going, Ichigo?" Orihime asked as he passed, her expression extremely worried.

"Where do you think?" Ichigo growled in response, his answer more directed at the Vizards than at her. "To bring Taylor back!"

And that was when Hiyori snapped. She could understand why he was upset- they were all a bit sore still about that incident really- but she had absolutely no patience for this level of idiocy. So she charged Ichigo so quickly that he had barely had time to glance over his shoulder before her foot connected with his back and he was sent flying into the far wall.

"You're such an idiot!" Hiyori shouted as dust and debris rained down from Ichigo's impact. "What the hell do you think going to get her is going to accomplish?"

"It's better than doing nothing!" Ichigo roared, the angry release of his spiritual pressure blowing away the dust.

"Idiot!" Hiyori attacked him again, planting a kick in his gut and pressing his body down into the earth. Ichigo gasped and hacked as Hiyori glared down at him. "You're not ready for that yet! You can't even use your mask for ten seconds! If you go all you'll do is get yourself killed and then you won't be able to help anyone!"

Ichigo glowered back at Hiyori. "What the hell do I do then?"

Hiyori sighed as she stepped off Ichigo's chest. She didn't know how to answer that. Taylor was gone, she was certain. After that Hollowfication there was nothing left to save. But she was sure if she told Ichigo that now he'd really go ballistic and they wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Just wait," Hiyori said finally. "Just wait until you're strong enough. They didn't kill her right away so I doubt they've killed her yet."

"Fine," Ichigo snarled after a moment's consideration, rising to his feet. "Let's get going again then." Ichigo raised his zanpakuto into a guard position, fury still pounding in his temples. They wouldn't let him leave until he was done with his training? Fine. He would just need to step it up then. The sooner he finished with this crap the sooner he could go save Taylor.

Orihime watched Ichigo restart his training feeling heartbroken. Poor Taylor. She couldn't believe that their friend had been taken to Hueco Mundo. Poor Ichigo. She knew how much he hated not having the power to go save Taylor right away. But he would train and get stronger and then he _would_ go and save her. Orihime knew this too.

That was why she decided right then and there that she needed to get stronger too. Aizen and his Arrancars were incredibly powerful. Ichigo couldn't win this battle alone. He would need all the help he could get. And this time, Orihime decided, she was going to help too. She would train and get stronger too!

…

Heat. Fire. Flames. That's pretty much all that my existence consists of now. If you can even call it existing.

To be honest I'm not even sure how I'm still around. I remember falling, first into total darkness and then into this hellish inferno that I'm in now. It's my inner world- or at least it's supposed to be- but everything is on fire. The grass, the tree, even the sky it seems like it's on fire. The air is choked with smoke and it's unbearably hot. The only part of my inner world that is clear is a small sliver of the night sky, dominated by the silver comet that seems closer now than ever.

Time is passing, though it's impossible for me to tell how much. I'm still connected to my senses. If I want to I can see what my eyes see. If I listen I can hear what my ears hear. But I have no control. I truly have lost to my Hollow.

I'm aware that I'm now in Hueco Mundo with Aizen and the Arrancars, but somehow it's impossible for me to summon the energy to care. I don't check too often, really, because most of the time it seems like my Hollow is hanging out with my mother…and that's just not something I can handle.

So I'm just kind of here. Waiting for something, though I don't know what.

One day, or hour, or minute later I decide to see what's going on outside the hell that is my inner world and I'm surprised by what I see. It looks like the World of the Living. In fact I'm pretty sure it's Karakura. But what the hell would my Hollow be doing here? I've caught bits and pieces of Aizen's intentions since my Hollow has been in Hueco Mundo…perhaps he's finally making his move? This thought stirs me for the first time in a very, very long time. In any case this isn't good.

Suddenly my Hollow is moving. An indefinite amount of time later she's watching a fight between the blue-haired Espada Grimmjow and another man. The other man is a Soul Reaper based on his shihakusho and is wearing a Hollow-like mask. A Vizard? Who knows… If he is he wasn't with the others when I was there. There's something familiar about him, but I just can't put my finger on it. Oh well. Whatever. I lose myself to the heat and flames again.

But for once my curiosity outweighs my apathy. I resurface again, this time to see that my Hollow has someone by the throat. I think it's the Soul Reaper from earlier. And this time I realize why he's so familiar. Brown eyes wide in shock and horror. Mouth open in astonishment. He's saying something. My name. And that bright orange hair. How could I have missed it earlier? It's…

_Ichigo!_

…

It had been a month since Ichigo had begun his training with his Vizards and two weeks since he'd discovered that Taylor had been taken when the Arrancars appeared again. Ichigo was in the middle of doing dishes, but dropped everything as soon as he sensed them. Love and Kensei grabbed him to stop him, but Shinji told them to let him go. Ichigo didn't know why and he didn't really care. He finally had the chance to test his new strength, take out some of Aizen's Arrancars, and hopefully find out more about what had happened to Taylor.

He was on his way to where the Arrancars had emerged- there were several of them by his limited spiritual pressure sensing abilities- when he was intercepted by Grimmjow, who was eager to fight again. Ichigo was slightly frustrated, but he was an Espada and they did have a score to settle. Ichigo could take him now that he could control his Hollowfication, he was sure. He would just have to finish it in eleven seconds.

Their battle was intense, but Ichigo had the upper hand. Until he ran out of time. Ichigo was just about to make his final blow when his mask shattered. He watched the broken fragments scatter as exhaustion overwhelmed him. Grimmjow looked as shocked as Ichigo felt, but his expression quickly morphed to a cruel smirk.

"Your luck's run out, Soul Reaper!"** Grimmjow shouted, charging with his sword raised.

Everything seemed to slow down as Grimmjow approached. Ichigo was perfectly aware that he no longer had enough energy to dodge. He had just braced himself in preparation for Grimmjow's attack when another Arrancar appeared at Grimmjow's side. Ichigo blinked in shock, Grimmjow's expression mirroring his own once again.

"Tag out, Grimmjow," the other Arrancar said, her voice dripping with amusement. She then placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him away, the movement appearing to cost her extremely little effort. Grimmjow went flying, crashing into the street below.

"W-who're you?" Ichigo panted, raising his sword to guard despite the fact that his arms felt like lead.

This Arrancar looked different than the others he had encountered so far. She was dressed similarly to the other them, however. She wore white hakamas, a white tank top that only covered her chest and left a tantalizing bit of cleavage exposed (not that Ichigo was looking) below her Hollow hole, and white fingerless gloves that went to her elbow.

But her mask completely covered her face. It was strangely familiar to Ichigo though he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. It was shaped vaguely like a human skull, though its teeth were too large. Pale gold stripes ran across the eye sockets, fading as they approached the edges of the mask. There was a separate ring around the top that ran around the back of the Arrancar's head, like a simple circlet crown.

Ichigo frowned. The more he thought about it the less like the other Arrancars she seemed. Her skin was deathly pale and the exposed parts of her arms were covered in bony protuberances that mimicked the human skeleton and curved into wicked claws at her fingertips. Her spiritual pressure was dark and heavy in a way that was different from the other Arrancars. And her eyes…gold irises and black where there should have been white.

Suddenly the Arrancar- or whatever she was- snapped her fingers. "Oh I get it!" Ichigo blinked in confusion. "You don't recognize me like this!" she exclaimed. He couldn't see her expression but her voice and eyes suggested that she had just made the discovery of the century.

And then, just as suddenly, her eyes narrowed. "Too bad," she continued, voice filled with malice. Before Ichigo even got the chance to think the Arrancar attacked. She darted forward, placed a powerful punch in his stomach, and sent him flying into the ground as she had with Grimmjow.

Ichigo coughed roughly as he tried to breathe and tasted blood. The dust began to clear as he struggled to sit up, wheezing. He was exhausted enough with using up all his spiritual pressure with his Hollowfication and being sucker punched in the gut like that really didn't help. He stiffened at the sound of footsteps, the Arrancar-that-wasn't-quite-an-Arrancar approaching through the thinning dust.

"Is that really all you've got? I'm disappointed, Ichigo." She sounded like she was pouting though there was no mistaking the scorn in her tone.

"How do you know my name?" Ichigo managed to ask as he pulled himself to his feet.

The smirk was clear in the Arrancar's voice when she answered. "Everyone in Hueco Mundo knows your name. Aizen still has his eye on you, believe it or not."

Anger flashed through Ichigo, giving him the strength to lash out. The Arrancar caught his sword and with practiced ease pulled it from his grasp and threw it away. It clattered down the street to land at Grimmjow's feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Grimmjow snarled, stalking down the street towards Ichigo and the Arrancar. "He's my prey! Back the fuck off!"

Ichigo saw the Arrancar roll her eyes. "Chill out. I'll be done with him in a second." Before Grimmjow could respond she reached out and wrapped a hand around Ichigo's throat, pulling him close so that his face was only inches from her mask. "Come here, lover boy."

Ichigo tried to swallow but he found he couldn't. Her grip was too tight. And he was just so tired. He suddenly found himself wondering if this was the end for him. He'd certainly never imagined dying like this.

There was vague disappointment in the Arrancar's eyes along with cold cruelty as she looked at Ichigo. "You still haven't figured out who I am? Oh well…I'll suppose I'll take pity on you."

Ichigo braced himself for a killing blow, so he was surprised when the Arrancar simply raised her free hand to the left side of her masked and tapped a finger against her temple. The left half of the mask cracked and then, after a moment, shattered.

Ichigo gasped in shock as guilt, anger, and a deep, deep sadness filled his chest. He felt cold all over even as his mind vehemently tried to deny what he was seeing. The face, that was half revealed by the broken mask, was Taylor's. The numbness of disbelief slowly filled Ichigo's limbs, leaving him limp and unable to move.

It couldn't be. It just _couldn't_ be. "No…" he mumbled, barely even aware that he'd spoken.

"Oh yes," Taylor chuckled in pleasure.

"Taylor…" Ichigo didn't know what to think or what to feel. All there was, was despair.

That's when Ichigo saw something in Taylor's eye. It was recognition, but very different from bloodlust filled look she had been giving him up to this point. And with that brief flicker of something softer Ichigo saw something else- a flash of blue in the gold. Somewhere, deep inside Ichigo's chest, hope sparked into life.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" The shout was quickly followed by a wave of solid ice. Taylor barely had time to turn her head before it engulfed her, ice creeping up to the wrist of the arm that was holding Ichigo. Her grip loosened and Ichigo dropped from her grasp, coughing and rubbing his injured neck.

"Ichigo! Are you alright!" Rukia cried, running to his side.

Ichigo barely had time to register the concern on Rukia's face before Grimmjow was practically on top of them, sword raised to attack. "I'm still here, you fuckers!" he roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

There was a cracking sound and then the ice surrounding Taylor shattered. She reached out and grabbed Grimmjow's sword, stopping it with ease. "Tsk, tsk, you're always so impatient."

Grimmjow's glare was dripping with hatred as he stared at Taylor, struggling to pull his blade from her grasp. From beside him Ichigo heard Rukia gasp and when he turned to look he saw her eyes, wide and stunned, were trained on Taylor's face.

"My oh my. I just detest having to interfere with another Soul Reaper's fight. And yet I have no choice. I can't ignore you if you're making so much noise."*** All eyes turned to the new arrival standing on the roof of nearby house.

"Who the hell are you?" Grimmjow growled.

"Hey Shinji," Taylor smirked. "Long time no see."

Shinji's usual uninterested expression darkened before the corners of his mouth pulled downwards into a frown. "Oh. It's you. I figured they would have killed you by now."

"What? Nah, I'm Aizen's 'honored guest'," Taylor drawled.

"Too bad," Shinji replied, sounding off hand and completely bored. "I guess that means I'll just have to kill you now."

What? Shock again rippled through Ichigo along with the unpleasant feeling of panic. Shinji was going to kill her? Why?

That's when Grimmjow snapped! "I've had enough of this shit!" he roared. "Now grind, Pan-!" Grimmjow's voice died in his throat as Ulquiorra's hand closed over his wrist.

"That's enough, Grimmjow," he intoned emotionlessly.

"Aww, Ulquiorra, you're spoiling all the fun!" Taylor whined, her tone bordering on mocking.

Ulquiorra's eyes slid over to her. "That's the same to you. You're not supposed to be here."

Taylor shrugged nonchalantly. "I was bored."

Ulquiorra let out the smallest of sighs. "Well it doesn't matter now. Our mission is complete."

Above them the sky cracked and the yellow light of the Negacion appeared. Slowly Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Taylor began to drift upwards, Ichigo and the rest unable to do anything to stop them.

Taylor smirked cruelly as she noticed Ichigo's eyes on her, obviously amused at his pain. "Bye bye, lover boy! I'll be waiting for you!" she called as she and the other two disappeared into the crack and the sky sealed itself shut behind them.

**Author's Note**

And so the angst keeps marching on. I swear this story will get less angsty at some point! Well…sort of. And long chapter is long- this is the longest one so far I think.

Anywho, I realize that not a lot happened in this chapter. I really was just trying to get through that month or so where Ichigo was training with the Vizards between the two sections where important stuff actually happens. So yea. Next chapter things are really going to start picking up, so if you though this one was boring just wait.

Citations:

*English language version, Episode 126, by Viz.

**English language version, Episode 139, by Viz.

***English language version, Episode 140, by Viz. (I realize I totally didn't need to use this one, but Shinji was so bad ass at this part I just had to).

Ten reviews! Pretty darn good! THANK YOU SO MUCH to MoonDancer89, Snowy12345679, pokemonjkl, LadyAmazon, Shadow knight1121, Shaybo27, Lady Island Rose, bored411, ichigolove28, and violentyetawesome. You're all freaking awesome!

I've got more time to write now, so hopefully my updates will be quicker! Yay! And this story is starting to get really long- 49 pages in word. On another note I now have a deviantart account (url is in my profile) if ya'll wanna be friends on there. Being on there really makes me wish I could draw though. If I could I would totally make an awesome cover for this story. But since I can't it will remain as America and his awesome whale!

Thanks for reading!

**imagination junkie**


	5. Knight in Shining Armor, part 1

_**Disclaimer**_: _I don't own Bleach, its characters, or its plot. I do, however, own my OC and her story. So no touchy :)_

**Chapter 5: Knight in Shining Armor, part 1**

"Well that could have gone better," Shinji said. He dropped from the roof of the house to the ground and let out a breathy sigh.

Rukia threw him a suspicious glance before looking back at Ichigo. "I don't understand. What happened?" she asked softly.

Ichigo ignored her, his eyes trained on the sky where Taylor and the two Espada had disappeared.

"Well it's pretty simple, really," Shinji replied, his tone casual. "The Arrancar showed up, attacked, and Ichigo here got his ass handed to him. Just like he should have known would happen." There was venom in Shinji's last sentence.

Rukia's suspicious glance turned into a cold glare. "Who are you anyways?"

"Shinji Hirako, at your service," Shinji offered with a mocking bow. "And you…?"

"Rukia Kuchiki."

"Oh, so you're related to that brat Byakuya?"

"That's not relevant," Rukia ground out between her teeth, her patience quickly wearing thin. "You seemed to know what's going on so, tell me…what happened to Taylor?"

"I've got a question about that too," Ichigo said suddenly before Shinji got the chance to speak. When he met the other man's gaze his eyes were hard. "What did you mean by 'I guess that means I'll just have to kill you now'?"

Shinji's face was blank. "What do you think I meant Ichigo?" he asked, his tone emotionless.

Ichigo's temper flared, accompanied by a blast of spiritual pressure. "I don't know! That's why I'm freaking asking!"

"You think you can still save her right?," Shinji replied, something in his tone on the edge of mocking. "That you can ride into Hueco Mundo like a knight in shining armor and take her away? Well, you can't Ichigo. There's nothing left of her to save."

"You're lying," Ichigo growled. Rukia, alarmed by the anger in his tone, laid a restraining hand on his arm.

"I'm not," Shinji retorted coldly. "You saw her Hollowfication just as clearly as I did. She's been completely swallowed by her inner Hollow. None of her humanity is left."

"You're lying!"

"We knew from the moment it happened that the only option left was to kill her."

Ichigo exploded. "You knew?! You knew that she'd Hollowified right from the start and you didn't bother to tell me?!"

When Shinji responded his face, his tone, everything presented a perfect mask of indifference. "There's nothing to be done Ichigo. She's gone."

"Bastard!" Ichigo shouted, lunging for Shinji, but Rukia held him back.

"That's enough Ichigo!" she shouted. "Don't listen to him anymore! Let's just leave!"

After struggling for another moment Ichigo jerked away from Rukia and stalked down the street in opposite direction. Rukia threw Shinji one last glare before following.

Rukia had just turned back around when she saw Ichigo stumble. "Ichigo?"

"I…I'm fine," he said, stumbling again, his voice strained. Then he went down. Hard.

"Ichigo? Ichigo!"

Shinji watched, a heaviness settling in his chest. It didn't change his conviction one bit, however.

…

Orihime turned at the sound of six pairs of footsteps. She squeaked in surprise and fear when she saw the five Arrancars behind her…and Taylor.

"My, my, who is this lovely flower," the shortest of the five Arrancars, a boy with dark hair, sneered. He slowly circled Orihime, a hungry, dangerous look in his eye.

"She's Aizen's guest," Ulquiorra warned tonelessly. "You are not to touch her Luppi."

Luppi glared at him but moved away nonetheless. Orihime quailed under Ulquiorra's impassive stare and the glares of Grimmjow and Yammy. The other Arrancar, a boy with blond hair, she didn't recognize. He let out a wistful moan.

"Oh! I remember you now!" Orihime's gaze snapped to the side as Taylor suddenly pushed past the Arrancars.

Orihime swallowed and stepped back as she got closer. It was clear something bad had happened to her. Taylor looked like she had the day she'd fought Yammy in Karakura, with pale skin and golden eyes. Her face was also half covered in a Hollow mask now and there were strange bony shapes all over the rest of her body. She was wearing one of the Arrancar uniforms.

And there was a hole. A hole in Taylor's chest.

Slowly, dreading was she was about to see in her eyes, Orihime lifted her gaze to meet Taylor's.

The uncovered half of Taylor's face twisted into a cruel smirk. "Good. You remember me too."

Taylor's smirk widened and Orihime's heart began to pound in trepidation. Taylor lifted her hand and reached out like she was going to caress Orihime's cheek. Orihime flinched away just as another bone pale hand wrapped around Taylor's wrist.

"You are not to touch her either," Ulquiorra ordered.

Taylor gave him a dirty look before stepping away. Orihime heard her mutter, "Spoil all my fun," under her breath.

A sudden creak from behind Orihime made her jump. A massive pair of doors were groaning open, leading into a long dark hall with one bright light at the end. And at the end, seated on a massive platform in the center of the light, was Aizen.

"Come woman," Ulquiorra commanded, pausing beside Orihime. "It's time for you to greet our lord." Grimmjow, Yammy, Luppi, and the strange blond-haired boy fell in behind him. But he paused before entering Aizen's throne room.

"You will stay here. I'll deal with you myself later."

Taylor's Hollow stuck her tongue out at Ulquiorra's retreating back, but she did as she was told and did not follow them in. Instead she leaned against the wall just outside the door, curious as to what the role of the little human girl was in Aizen's plan.

Things had just gotten interesting with Aizen ordering the girl to heal Grimmjow's arm when Taylor's Hollow was distracted by a far too familiar voice. "Taylor!"

Taylor's Hollow turned to see Etsuko standing a few feet away, her expression livid. "Hello mommy dearest. How are you today?"

"Don't give me that lip," the Arrancar snarled, stepping forward and seizing Taylor's Hollow's wrist. "I told you not to mess with the Espada! What're you doing here?"

Taylor's Hollow's lip curled up in distaste as she wrenched her wrist from the Arrancar's grasp. "Oh, you know, just hanging around. Busting some Soul Reaper heads in the World of the Living. Seeing what almighty Lord Aizen has going on with that human girl."

Surprise and anger flashed through Etsuko's eyes. "What?! You went to the World of the Living?! You fool! Just because you're Aizen's pet project doesn't mean you can run around doing whatever you please! Push someone's patience too far and they're going to kill you!"

Etsuko seize Taylor's Hollow's wrist again and began to drag her down the corridor. "Come with me! You're going to stay far away from Aizen, the Espada, and that human girl from now on!"

Estuko didn't get another step before she was roughly slammed up against the wall, a hand over her throat.

"I don't think so," Taylor's Hollow growled, pleased to see fear in the Arrancar's eyes. She began to squeeze, intending to teach Etsuko lesson, but she suddenly found that she couldn't. She stared in shock- that quickly turned to displeasure- at her arm for a moment before releasing Etsuko and stepping away.

While Taylor's Hollow may not have been able to hurt her as much as she would have liked Etsuko still collapsed to the ground coughing. "Listen here," Taylor's Hollow snarled, leaning down so her face was inches from Etsuko's. "You may be the mother of the girl whose face I wear, but you aren't mine. And if you keep acting like you are, mark my words, I. Will. End you. Understand?"

Etsuko nodded, unable to meet the eyes of the monster wearing her child's face.

"Good."

Taylor's Hollow walked away, the echo of her footsteps offering an odd counterpoint to the manic laughter of the newly restored Sixth Espada issuing from Aizen's throne room.

…

I knew she was coming. I didn't have to wait very long either.

She came, the fire parting before her and then closing behind her again as she entered the roughly ten foot wide space I've managed to clear around the tree. The grass and all the leaves have been reduced to ash and everything still smokes and smolders, but I've finally managed to reclaim some part of _my_ inner world.

She gives me a vicious glare as she comes to a stop. My Hollow. It's strange to look at her in here like this. Physically we're almost identical. It'd be like looking into a mirror except for a few key things. Her skin is frighteningly pale. Where my eyes are blue hers are gold, the whites turned black. And her hair, rather than being bright blonde, is jet black.

She's intimidating for sure, but I try not to let my trepidation show. I glare right back at her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asks.

"What do you mean?" I counter.

"Oh, you know what I mean," my Hollow snarls. I smirk slightly at this. I seemed to have touched a nerve.

"You mean this?" I ask, gesturing to the cleared circle around us. It used to all be fire, but after stopping her from hurting Ichigo in the World of the Living it went out.

My Hollow gives her surroundings a cursory glance before turning her venomous gaze back to me. "No. I mean trying to stop me from doing things."

"Oh. That."

Something in my Hollow snaps. She suddenly jumps forward, her face the picture of rage, and slams me up against the tree. I wince in pain as she presses me up against it, the rough bark digging into my back.

"Listen here you stinking human," she hisses, her face inches from my own. It's impossible for me to look away from her golden eyes as they burn with hate. "You're not in control anymore. I am. And that means I can do whatever I damn well want whether it's to your mother or that human girl or…" My Hollow pauses here, her face twisting into a sadistic smirk. "Or that orange haired human boy that you love so much."

That bitch. She's talking about Ichigo. Anger courses through my veins hot and furious, making me forget my pain and my fear. I meet my Hollow's gaze with my own defiant glare now.

Something in her eyes falters and she slams me up against the tree harder than ever making me gasp. "There's nothing you can do to stop me," she tells me her voice low and full of malice. "That boy is going to come and try to save you. I know it and you know it. And when he does I am going to enjoy playing with him _so much._ I'm gonna—"

"No!" I shout. I'm not just pissed anymore- I'm full out enraged. With a strength I didn't know I possessed I push my Hollow away. She stumbles backwards, her expression shocked, as something akin to spiritual pressure stirs the air around us.

"You may be in control of my body, but you aren't in control of me!" I continue, stepping forward, my eyes blazing. "And I _will not _let you hurt anyone else that I love! Not my mother, not Orihime, and definitely not Ichigo!"

My Hollow stares at me like I've just grown a second head. Then her expression turns hateful again. "Whatever," she snaps. "Just stay out of my way." With that she turns and disappears into the fire and leaves me alone.

Once she's gone I'm surprised that I don't feel deflated. If anything I feel more powerful and more…alive than I have in ages. I'm not entirely sure what just happened, but it's clear something's changed. That somehow I've won something. And it's also clear that my Hollow no longer has complete control over my mind and my body anymore. I'm not just going to sit quietly by as she does what she pleases and we both know it.

With a sigh I look up at the sky. It's easier to see now with less fire and smoke. The comet has gotten even closer it seems, its brightness nearly illuminating all the starless darkness.

Unfortunately my Hollow was right about one thing. Now that Ichigo knows I'm in Hueco Mundo he's almost certainly going to come and try to save me. Orihime being here is just another added incentive. And I know my Hollow is going to try and hurt him when he comes.

A new resolve fills me at that thought. I smirk slightly. I guess that means I'll just have to stop her.

…

When Ichigo next awoke his wounds were healed and Orihime was gone. The Soul Society had declared both her and Taylor traitors and ordered that all the Soul Reapers that had come to the World of the Living to help him were to return to the Soul Society. Ichigo was left shocked and angry.

The next day he had been confronted at school by a distraught Tatsuki. She had been upset enough at Taylor's long absence, but Orihime's disappearance had sent her over the edge. She'd wanted to know where her friends were, but Ichigo couldn't tell her. He walked away from her, Keigo, and Mizuiro regretful and even more angry.

Though he'd been ordered by Yamamoto to do nothing he knew he wasn't going to obey. There was no way that Orihime and Taylor were traitors and there was no way he was going to leave them to their fates in Heeco Mundo. He'd set out with Uryu and Chad to rescue them and once they reached Hueco Mundo Renji and Rukia joined them.

Just the thought of that made Ichigo smile. They wouldn't abandon their friends. They _would_ save Orihime and Taylor. No matter what.

That was why he was currently racing down an endless white corridor inside of Aizen's palace of Las Noches. And when Ichigo said white he meant _white_. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, seriously everything was white! Ichigo was beginning to think that Aizen had some kind of complex.

"Itsygo!" Ichigo's musings were interrupted by Nel's high-pitched chirp as she popped up over his shoulder. "Where are we going Itsygo?" she whined.

"To save my friends," Ichigo replied, his tone determined.

"Yea, I know that. But _where _are we going?"

Ichigo shot a disgruntled look at the tiny Arrancar. "I don't know. I thought that's what you came along for."

"Oh," Nel replied, looking thoughtful for moment. Then she raised a hand and pointed down the corridor. "I think we should go that way!"

Ichigo sighed. "Thanks for the input…" He briefly wondered is this was how Kenpachi felt _all_ the time.

Then Ichigo sensed another spiritual pressure up ahead and he refocused- they weren't alone anymore. He didn't immediately recognize it, but after a moment he was certain he knew whom the spiritual pressure belonged to. He increased his pace. The end of the hallway came into view.

Ichigo slowed to a stop as he stepped through the open doorway. There, on the far side of the room, stood Taylor. She was waiting for him, a nasty smirk visible on the part of her face that wasn't covered by her Hollow mask.

"Hey lover boy," she called. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Her voice…It was all wrong. And the coldness in her eyes sent a chill down Ichigo's spine. Anger pooled in his gut as she stepped forward. It was Taylor's face, but it wasn't her talking. It was the Hollow that was in control.

Taylor's- no, Taylor's Hollow's- smirk widened. "Whatsa matter? Aren't you going to say anything? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Ichigo's hands tightened into fists. Nel peeked over his shoulder. "Itsygo," she whispered, her voice tight with fear. "Who's that?"

"My friend. I'm here to save her."

Taylor's Hollow roared with laughter, her voice high and insane. "Ah ha, that's rich lover boy. There isn't a damn thing you can do anymore. She's lost. I've won." Her grin was maniacal.

"You're lying," Ichigo replied, his voice strong. Taylor's Hollow stopped, irritation flashing across her face. "You haven't won. Taylor's still in there. I know it. I saw it when you tried to attack me in the World of the Living. I don't know what I have to do, but I don't care. I _will_ save her."

Taylor's Hollow's smile had fallen as Ichigo spoke and now she stood there considering him. Slowly the corners of her lips curled up into the most deranged expression yet. "Is that what you think? Very well then. Draw your sword, lover boy, and I'll show you just how very _wrong_ you are!"

"No," Ichigo growled back, his anger slowly growing at the Hollow's threat. "I won't fight you."

"Then die!" Taylor's Hollow howled, darting forwards.

Nel shrieked and leapt down from Ichigo's back before turning around and screaming at him to move. He ignored her and stood his ground as Taylor's Hollow charged. He kept eye contact with her the whole time. The look in her eyes had changed. No longer manic joy, now there was just hate and rage.

But he wouldn't fight her. He couldn't. He couldn't run the risk of hurting her. Besides he knew Taylor was still in there. Ichigo had faith that she wouldn't hurt him either.

It was getting close though. She was still approaching, the white, bone like substance that coated her body growing on her hands and fingers to form razor-sharp claws. She raised a hand above him to swipe downwards, a twisted mix of pure disgust and vicious joy on her face. But Ichigo didn't close his eyes. He just stared Taylor's Hollow down, willing his gaze to reach Taylor, willing her to stop.

And at the last second she froze, the claws just inches from his face. Glancing back up at her eyes he saw that they were blue. Internally he cheered. He'd been right.

Suddenly Taylor's Hollow's face contorted in fury and she reeled away with an inhuman scream. "You bitch!" she cried, thrashing. "Stop it you bitch!"

Ichigo watched as Taylor staggered away, letting out another cry that was closer to a Hollow's roar than a human scream. "Come on Taylor," he muttered under his breath. He didn't think there wasn't anything else he could do for her now except root for her to win this fight.

…

"_I'm going to destroy you!_"

My Hollow's scream echoes around me, but I don't care. I'm so angry that I can barely stay upright. "Bring it on!" I yell back. Around me the fire dances, buffeted by the wind created by that force that is so akin to spiritual pressure. I've managed to push the circle out another ten feet.

There is a sudden break in the fire to my right and suddenly I'm pressed up against the tree, a hand on my throat and sharp claws digging into the sides of my neck. I glare at my Hollow. Her expression is a distorted snarl and there's bloodlust in her eyes.

She's lost some of her humanity now too, the substance that forms the Hollow mask leaking from the corners of her eyes and mouth. It's slowly congealing, forming strange shapes on her body. "What did I tell you?" she growls, showing teeth that are far pointier than they should be. "I told you stay out of my way! And now I'm going to kill you and then that stupid orange haired boy!"

My blood boils. "_No!_" The force around me pushes my Hollow back, sending her tumbling end over end and back into the fire. "I told you I wasn't going to let you hurt anyone that I loved anymore! And if you so much as lay a finger on one hair on Ichigo's head I'm going to destroy _you_!"

I'm answered by a Hollow's roar with enough power to send the flames flaring back towards me, fanning them around me and the tree. A cold shiver runs down my spine as my Hollow's spiritual pressure rolls past me. Shit. She's strong. Really strong.

As she emerges from the blaze I involuntarily take a step back. Her face is now covered by a Hollow mask, the same white substance forming wings and a robe like covering on her body. A pair of angel wings rise behind her. But it's her eyes that really frighten me. They've lost their intelligence...she's just a mindless monster now.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

My Hollow howls once more and charges. Even though I'm terrified, her spiritual pressure pressing all around me, I scream my defiance and hold my ground. I can't let her win. I just can't!

That's when I notice that the air around me is growing brighter. Time seems to slow as the light becomes blinding. Confused, I look up. It's the comet. It's coming down. In fact it looks like it's about to crash right on top of me.

I throw an arm over my face to shield my eyes and the ground shudders beneath my feet. Once it stops I lower my arm, squinting into the brightness before me. I can just make a humanoid figure, their shape backlit by the blinding light. I can't tell if they're male or female, but somehow they seem familiar.

"_Call my name_,_"_ a voice says, but I think it's more in my mind than in my ears. "_Call me Taylor. I will not let your goals go unfulfilled._"

A warm feeling starts in my chest and spreads outwards, going down to the very tips of my fingers and my toes. For the first time in what seems like an eternity I can feel power pulsing through my veins.

Taken by that rush I open my mouth and shout, "Shine! Houkiboshi!"

**Author's Note**

LJKHLAJDJALKJSDHAJKHSLJH I'm sorry! I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to get another chapter up! I was working on some other stuff and then school started and, well, I have very limited free time now. I've actually had most of this chapter done for the past two weeks and I just didn't have time to finish it. Hopefully everything that happened made up for it though…

We're coming to the climax of this story now. There should be 3-4 chapters left. Most of it will break from the canon plotline for the next couple of chapters before getting back into it at the end. And for this chapter I hope I didn't confuse everyone too much with the Taylor/Taylor's Hollow thing. I wanted to differentiate their perspectives and how other people view them. And I set up the thing with the comet AGES ago. Don't believe me? Go back and read chapter 16 of The Natural Blonde.

Twelve reviews! Whoo! You're all awesome :). A big fat thank you for the reviews and your patience to…Kurisetina, CharisHalk, IluvU, Lady Island Rose, ComicXArena, MoonDancer89, Delirium's Requiem, two anonymous guests, Magimagus, bored411, and Shadow knight1121! I hope it was worth the wait!

I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. Christmas at the latest…?

Thanks for reading!

**imagination junkie**


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